Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 363 Poland and Denmark

Alexander II was discussing the situation in Poland, a region that was even more turbulent than the south.

Following the emancipation of the serfs, the region has seen the emergence of the moderate White Party and the radical Red Party. This is a good sign, as it is quite rare to find cooperative factions in the most anti-Tsarist region of Poland. However, the radicals are also very radical, so a hardline approach is still necessary.

"We still need to send more troops to cities like Warsaw. Now is a critical time, and we can't afford to make any mistakes."

Alexander II spoke to his cabinet about the importance of Poland, describing it as the second most fertile land after Ukraine. Warsaw, in particular, was a vital commercial city that could not be lost.

"But Your Majesty, the British have already sent someone to explain that we cannot take any further action against the Poles."

Alexander II immediately roared, "These bastards! When did it become their place to tell the great Russian Empire what to do?"

Diplomatic interference has already ignited His Majesty the Tsar's anger. They are always the ones interfering in other people's internal affairs; when has anyone ever dared to interfere in theirs?

As for whether the Polish question is Russia's internal affair, is there even a need to consider that? Once it was occupied by the Tsarist government, it was Russian territory, and whether the outside world recognized it or not was irrelevant.

No one dared to provoke the enraged Tsar, and everyone watched in tacit agreement as Alexander II unleashed his fury. Since the reforms began, the Tsar had faced considerable opposition, which had greatly increased his temper; no one wanted to see things like this.

"We still need to recruit soldiers, the more the better."

Alexander II slammed his fist onto the Polish map, knocking over the tin terracotta figures symbolizing the Russian garrison. Several Cossack cavalry models rolled onto the carpet and were crushed to pieces by the Tsar's boots.

“Your Majesty,” the elderly Army Minister Milyukin said, his voice trembling, “the Warsaw Military District already has 15 infantry divisions stationed there. If we send more troops…”

"Then bring troops from the Caucasus!" The Tsar grabbed a crystal wine bottle and smashed it against the fireplace, the flying shards scratching a crack in the portrait of Peter the Great. "Let those Georgian barbarians know the price of resistance!"

After speaking, the Tsar pondered for a while. Alexander II then connected the dots, concluding that all the countries did not want to see Russia complete its reforms and become stronger.

"By the way, how's the discussion with the British about the Alaska deal going?" "The British are willing to offer £120 million, which is the highest price they can offer."

Iran's request to purchase Alaska was rejected, though it's unclear what a West Asian country would want with a piece of the Americas. The rejection was a precaution, but it also gives the Tsar some food for thought: could it be that they intend to move icebergs from Alaska to Iran to solve their water shortage problem?
With the United States' defeat already a foregone conclusion, they had no choice but to sell it to Britain. 1.2 million it is, anyway, the only things left in the area besides furs and snow are not of much value.

Meanwhile, in Prussia, which borders Russia, Chancellor Bismarck was planning a war against Denmark. He was determined to bring both duchies under Prussian control, rather than hand them over to a so-called "confederation." By acquiring the port of Kiel and digging a canal there, Prussia could connect the North Sea and the Baltic Sea—providing ample justification for its actions.

Bismarck might have hoped for Russia's voluntary assistance, perhaps by exploiting the Habsburgs' folly, or by hoping Lord Russell would avoid the urgency of war at all costs. If Prussia and Austria could be drawn in, Napoleon III would also have shown goodwill towards Prussia's actions.

In fact, Prussia's idea about the unification of Germany was always very clear. According to Bismarck, Germany must be unified by Prussia, and by force. However, Austria was too big for Prussia to handle, so Germany should kick Austria out to achieve unification.

True to his word, Bismarck proved himself the best prime minister. Seeing the German Parliament's constant nagging and attempts to restrict the king, Bismarck decided to ignore the Parliament and directly wage war against the surrounding regions. He knew that once he unified Germany and the bourgeoisie gained tangible benefits, they would naturally shut up and cease their provocations. Thus, Bismarck began his bloody war of unification. Denmark and several duchies under his control were the first to bear the brunt.

Schleswig, Holstein, and Lauenburg were three duchies in the Elbe region. Schleswig was closely associated with Denmark and was inhabited by both Germans and Danes, while Holstein and Lauenburg were purely German.

According to the London Protocol of 1851, these three duchies were administratively under the leadership of the King of Denmark. However, Holstein and Lauenburg were also members of the German Confederation. This absurd provision was simply asking for trouble. The King of Denmark, in a fit of pique, declared that all three duchies belonged to Denmark!
Denmark had offended all Germans in one fell swoop, and Bismarck, who was just looking for a fight, found Denmark right in his line of fire. Now, German national consciousness was awakening and rising; with a neighbor openly encroaching on their territory, all Germans wanted to unite and drive him out. Bismarck, at home, had a brilliant idea: he would team up with Austria to form an alliance against Denmark.

Besides containing Russia, European nations were also wary of unifying the German territories. Since the rise of Prussia and the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the major powers in Europe had been preventing a smooth German unification. Seeing Prussia's eagerness to unite, they all felt that the situation in Germany was probably out of control.

Sooner or later, Prussia and Austria were bound to go to war. It was clear that if Prussia won, Austria would be excluded, Germany would be unified, and with Prussia's current industrial strength, Germany would dominate Central Europe. If Austria won, given the ethnic mix within the Habsburg territory, it would be very difficult for it to unify and stabilize such a large Germany. Even if it forcibly unified it, it would be in chaos internally, probably not much different from a state of division.

But before that, Bismarck needed Austria's cooperation in reclaiming the territory. He first appealed to the German Confederation in Frankfurt to utilize their joint defense mechanism and send troops to protect Holstein. The Confederation agreed to this request and deployed a joint force in its name, composed of troops from the two states closest to Holstein, Saxony and Hanover, to protect Holstein and also to send a clear signal to Denmark.

On October 30, 1862, the armies of Prussia and Austria crossed the Eder River and entered Schleswig from Holstein. The sight of the two armies advancing side by side rekindled hopes among the people for the establishment of a "Greater Germany." Soldiers from both countries wore white armbands to signify their alliance, while the Danish army was quickly put to rest, and within six weeks, they had to meet at the negotiating table.

(End of this chapter)