Chapter 1,711 Response 1
Chapter 1711 Response 1
"According to our insider information, the Kaiser intends to establish a Kingdom of Poland. In this case, we will have nothing to gain in Russian Poland. And if the Kingdom of Poland appears within the empire, the country will jump in terms of land area and population. Surpassing Württemberg and Saxony. Becoming the third largest kingdom, and you know that in the empire, the eldest and second eldest are inherently hostile, while the third is a potential ally of the eldest." In Prince Ruprecht's In the study, Earl Schelling opposite introduced the current situation to the prince.
"Currently, most political parties and members of the Imperial Parliament have expressed their non-objection. If it comes to a vote, the probability of passing it is very high. The Kaiser supports this matter, but other kingdoms and grand duchies may not We support it, but we will not oppose it. It will be difficult for us to reject this proposal in the Federal Parliament."
"That means the Kaiser is ready to take action?" the prince said calmly.
"It's not yet the case, but sooner or later the Prussian knife will hit us! Today it is a Kingdom of Poland. Maybe the Kaiser will pass a bill in the future to establish a Kingdom of Ukraine or something." Count Schelling's words filled with anger. "Your father hopes that you can come up with a solution."
"How are you doing with the food and daily necessities I asked you to purchase in large quantities?" The prince suddenly asked something that seemed to have nothing to do with the topic just now.
"Uh." Earl Schelling felt that the question jumped a bit, but he still answered honestly: "I have stocked up on the supplies mentioned in the list according to your instructions, but there is something I don't understand. With the Americans providing us with supplies, although they are a little tighter than before the war, they are generally sufficient and even somewhat wealthy. What is the purpose of this?"
"Soon, the supplies shipped in from the North Sea will not be so abundant." The prince said with a slight smile.
"You mean, the North Sea will be blocked? Although we have not fought against the British during this period, their fleet does not dare to abandon the homeland and station in the Shetland Islands?" Earl Sherling said in shock.
"The British don't use the main fleet at all this time! Don't underestimate the British empire that has been passed down for hundreds of years. Its heritage is terrible." The prince sighed and said. "The British have completed the aviation base group in the Shetland Islands. Relying on this base, they can use aircraft and auxiliary cruisers to rebuild the blockade. Not to mention a complete blockade, but the import of supplies will be greatly reduced, and this At one time, the British might do something extraordinary, and might even withhold part of the supplies from the neutral Netherlands and Belgium, and our good days are temporarily over."
"This will make it difficult for us this winter!" Earl Schelling said with surprise.
"If William doesn't fix these bad things,
Germany will have a good time this winter, but now, I'm afraid that may not be the case. In addition to us, there are also a group of people who are also hoarding. When the North Sea blockade is rebuilt, material supplies will be tighter. "The prince said meaningfully. If you look at it purely from this aspect, the problem is not big. After all, the Germans' import channels have been difficult to a certain extent in history, and they have persisted for 4 years. But now? If someone takes the opportunity to fan the flames If so, it would be different!
Of course, Bavaria is upright on this issue! Unlike those who are speculative and speculative, Bavaria's massive hoarding of supplies was approved by the Kaiser and the German government! All supplies are received from official German warehouses with certificates and permissions, and are completely legal in terms of law and process!
Bavaria only has 78,000 square kilometers of land. It is very difficult to feed 13 million people with the food produced in such a small area. In peacetime, it must be imported. But in wartime, as a large number of young adults enter the army and factories, the food The gap was even larger, so in order to ensure Bavaria's food supply, the Kaiser approved Bavaria to purchase a batch of grain as a reserve at internal government prices.
However, once this hole is opened, there will definitely be some problems in actual operation. After all, this kind of purchase is not quantitative in indicators. In theory, if Bavaria has money, it can buy it. And because maritime transportation in the North Sea was almost smooth before, some people in the German government did not mind getting some benefits from this deal.
Since the beginning of 1913, Bavaria's purchase of grain from the German government began to rise linearly. Prime Minister Holweg once asked Ruprecht about this matter, and the prince's answer was simple. The kingdom entered into deep mobilization. The agricultural population decreased again and there was not enough food. At the same time, the Bavarian Army began to advance towards the Ukrainian Plains, and the attrition of the troops was also increasing. As the Bavarian Army begins to turn towards the Balkans, with an additional front, the supplies needed will also increase. This resulted in an increase in purchases.
Under the circumstances at the time, the relationship between the Kaiser and the prince was not bad. The prince's request was reasonable. After all, the battle line had been pushed so far, and the size of the army was expanding again, so it was normal for the food gap to become larger. If the situation does not change, then Bavaria's hoarding of supplies will still be beneficial to Prussia, because Prussia does not lack supplies and earns the price difference.
However, the problem now is that the situation has changed. The reconstruction of the North Sea blockade will greatly weaken the amount of supplies Germany can obtain from the outside world. In this case, the original supply system must change. If there is no conflict between Prussia and Bavaria, this is just a painful problem that will get better soon, but now, I am afraid it will not be that easy.
Because except for Bavaria, other powers are also doing the same thing overtly or covertly. If the Kaiser is not prepared, the problem of material shortage may occur at the right moment under the promotion of certain people. misfortune! And this is one of the backup options the prince left for himself!
As Count Schelling said, at this time, it may not be easy to prevent parliament from passing the establishment of a Kingdom of Poland from a policy level, and Ruprecht is unlikely to react too violently, so he can only pass Other ways to gradually poach Prussia!
The prince is very aware of the heritage of the British and the power of the British naval aviation in history and reality! Ruprecht believed that the British would eventually find a way to blockade the Shetland Islands by deploying powerful aviation forces in conjunction with auxiliary cruisers.
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