Holy Roman Empire

"According to information coming from the Embassy in St. Petersburg, since the outbreak of the conflict in the Far East, anti-Japanese sentiment has been rising in the Russian Empire.

Many in the Czarist government are advocating tough measures against us, and the main warring factions are so enraged that they do not rule out the possibility of starting a war.

The international community was very indifferent to our conflict with the Russians, and except for the verbal support of the British, most of the countries had the mindset of watching the fun."

Inoue Sorin said helplessly.

Since the rise of fanatical nationalism, the Japanese government has been a difficult official, and the foreign minister, who is in charge of international affairs, is a hot potato.

The radical faction of the people don't use their brains at all when looking at issues, and they never do things with a hot head, with a serious imbalance between ambition and power.

In this context, the foreign minister is often the backstabber, in the private sector that is about the existence of "traitors".

It doesn't matter who is in charge. You should know that after the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed, Ito Hirobumi was almost condemned as a traitor to the country.

Such a challenging job cannot be done without a strong heart.

No matter how strong one's heart is, Inoue feels numb in the face of the current international situation.

Under the international background of two opposing powers, even though he has too many dragon slaying skills, he has no room to use them.

Since he was hanging around with the British, he couldn't hope to get any favors from Shinra. It is human instinct to depend on the strongest, and there is nothing wrong with being a sea power country and hanging out with the most powerful navy in Britain.

The key to the problem lies with the boss. In the last few years, somehow, the British boss suddenly became ineffective, and was gradually at a disadvantage in the international competition.

First, they lost the upper hand in the Second Industrial Revolution, then they lost control of the European continent, and now even the hegemony of the Royal Navy is crumbling.

The naval hegemony was under attack, all thanks to the Shinra navy's world tour. All countries that have conducted joint exercises together know the difference between super battleships and conventional battleships.

The British were a step behind, and although their dreadnoughts were launched, they were in a hurry and suffered from bad habits.

Just like Shinra's earliest ship, the Rome, it was fine at home, but once it was launched, it was not good.

In this context, even though the British also had super battleships, they could only watch the Shinra navy stirring up the wind and making a name for itself.

In the eyes of those who cared, this was the performance of the navy's backwardness, at least in terms of warship construction technology, the British were a step behind.

The saying "prosperity at its best and decline at its worst" is not popular in the European world, but it is well known in East Asia. This judgment was the basis for all of their actions, including the forcible seizure of the Philippines.

What worries Inoue is that the British boss has not only fallen behind in science and technology, economy and military, but even the best diplomacy is now in a bottleneck.

If the boss's diplomacy can't work, the younger brother's diplomacy will be even harder to develop. In this era of Europe as the center, who knows what Japan is the onion ah?

In order to change this diplomatic passivity, an all-out westernization campaign, or "breakaway from Asia into Europe," broke out in Japan, and the foreign minister, Inoue Sorin, was the leading figure in this strategy.

Ito Hirobumi: "It's not that serious, it's just a diplomatic conflict, and the Russians are not ready to start a war over it.

The international situation is now very divided, with Britain and Shinra opposing each other, and the Russian Empire in a second position seemingly powerful, but in fact they are also very embarrassed.

The Russian-Austrian alliance had lasted for decades, and the Russians should have supported Shinra, but they were on the same European continent and happened to be neighbors.

There was no room for two tigers on the same mountain, and there was no room for two great powers on the European continent. Once Shinra defeated Britain, the Russian Empire would not be able to go any further.

From a strategic point of view, the best choice was an Anglo-Russian alliance to deal with the Silla. After all, the Russians and Austrians were both land powers, while the British were sea powers.

Even if Britain won the hegemony, it would not threaten the survival of the Russian Empire, and vice versa.

However, Britain and Russia had accumulated deep grudges, which could not be resolved if they wanted to, and the two sides lacked the most basic trust, so there was no basis for an alliance.

At this point, it is not in the interests of the Russian Empire to support either one or the other, but they have to take sides, or London and Vienna will not be relieved.

This was a major problem, and the Czarist government would not create complications until it was resolved.

Moreover, the Russian forces in the Far East were not strong enough to start a war. Once war breaks out, logistics alone can slow them down."

After hearing Ito Hirobumi's explanation, the Meiji emperor's face was significantly soothed. Because of the butterfly effect, Japan now was not as lucky as in the original space-time.

Although it had gained a lot in the war against the Far Eastern Empire, there was an extra war in the Philippines that cost money, and the navy was much larger than in the same period of history.

These cost money, and the looted war reparations were used to fill the two huge holes, leaving less money for domestic development and a much weaker nation than in the same period in history.

The most direct reaction was in the fiscal area. The most direct reaction was on the financial side. It was unthinkable to have a balanced budget, and it was a blessing from eight million gods that the country was able to keep its finances intact.

Against the Russians, not only was the military pressure great, but the financial pressure was even greater.

In this regard, Japan and Russia are more or less the same, both are poor countries with pockets cleaner than their faces.

Prime Minister Okuma Shigenobu: "Ito-kun, this is only an inference from normal circumstances, but don't forget that the Russian Empire was often abnormal.

I have studied Russian history, and the Tsarist government often made decisions without thinking.

The most famous one was Peter III, who cut off the Russian Empire's westward march because of his personal preference to betray the allies and support the Russians.

There are many more that are not famous, including several wars of the modern Russian Empire, all of which can hardly be considered rational.

The Russians, including Nicholas the Great, who was much admired by the Russians, waged the Near East War blindly, although he eventually seized the region of Constantinople and seemingly won the war.

But the price paid by the Russian Empire showed that it was a lose-lose war, and the Russians won only by saving face.

The next emperor, Alexander II, was much the same. He blindly went to war with Prussia without carefully weighing the pros and cons.

In the end, the war was won, but the price paid was the fall of the Russian Empire from the top to the second tier.

......

In short, the Tsarist government makes decisions, we can't judge by common sense, or we will suffer a big loss."

We don't know if we don't analyze, but we are shocked when we analyze. Meeting a competitor who is accustomed to playing cards not according to common sense would make anyone's head spin.

In fact, the inference of interest itself is not valid. It is true that interests come first among nations, but the ruler is still a man. And since they are human beings, they cannot be absolutely rational.

In many cases, the personal preferences and perceptions of politicians can also influence government decisions, especially in feudal monarchies.

There is no doubt that the Russian Empire was a typical feudal monarchy. Even the reforms of Alexander II failed to change this nature.

It cannot be said that the monarch's personal will influenced all state decisions, but the influence of the monarch's personal perceptions on state decisions was undeniable.

It is typical of the Russian Empire that the top echelons were exclusively anti-Japanese, and there were very few pro-Japanese creatures in the Czarist government.

For no other reason than the two scars on Nicholas II's body. This alone was enough to make everyone hate the Japanese Empire.

It's also political correctness. If you are indifferent when someone assassinates a monarch to whom you are loyal, do you still want to be in business?

What goes around, comes around. Like it or not, the Japanese government will have to pay for its previous mistakes.

Of course, there is much more that comes to mind. It seems that the Tsarist government's poor decisions in recent decades were eventually picked up by Austria.

No wonder they didn't think about it: one time could be a coincidence, two or three coincidences, that would be too much of a coincidence.

Thinking about it, there's not much that people can actually do right now. They can all see the problems, and others can also see the problems.

Others were able to identify the problems, including the top brass of the tsarist government, who also identified the problems. Otherwise there would not have been a situation where the first thing that every Tsar did after he succeeded to the throne was to get rid of his dependence on Vienna.

No one wants to be led by the nose, let alone by the untamed hairy bear.

But the gap between reality and ideal is a bit far, and if they were to cut themselves off and sever the ties between Russia and Austria they would not be able to make up their minds.

Since they are inseparable, they can only be cautious in making decisions to avoid being led off the beaten track.

After all, this kind of influence is carried out secretly, in the open Vienna government did not do anything.

Even if it stepped on a pit, the Tsarist government could only break its teeth and swallow inside. If the lid is lifted, it will only prove their own incompetence.

......

Both governments were looking for ways to avoid war, and the Japanese government did just a little bit more to strengthen their defenses against the Russians.

However, anti-Japanese sentiment in the Russian Empire was high, and anti-Russian sentiment in Japan was equally strong.

The Russian embassy staff in Japan didn't even dare to go out to buy groceries, looking at the protesting crowds outside.

The incessant cursing from morning to night seemed to be never-ending, making Minister Fotoriak furious.

"Dial the Japanese Foreign Ministry," the staff member suggested in a whisper, "and get on the phone.

The staff member suggested in a low voice, "Your Excellency, the phone line has been cut, why don't we send a telegram?"

It could be seen that Minister Fotoriak had a lot of respect in the Embassy, and the staff did not dare to prick him at all.

Minister Fotoriak roared, "Then why are you standing here?

Just after yelling, Fotoriak realized that he had misspoken. If you want to send a telegram, there must be content, and you didn't say anything, so those who do things below will naturally have to wait.

"I'm sorry, Frank. I didn't mean it. I was just confused by the Japanese.

There was so much noise outside, I don't believe the Japanese government didn't know. To know that someone is causing trouble and not stop it is a provocation to the great Russian Empire.

Tell the guards to get ready, and if anyone dares to cross the border, you don't have to be polite."

No doubt, the last sentence was just angry words. If they had dared to shoot, the men below would have opened fire.

After a pause, Fotoriak continued: "Inform the country of the situation we are facing, and invite the embassies in Japan to join us in putting pressure on the Japanese government.

Inform the Japanese Foreign Ministry and order them to expel the troublemakers within two hours, or ......"

Otherwise, Fotoriak himself is not sure.

Diplomatic blackmail has to be differentiated, not that Japan can't be blackmailed. The point is that the power of the Russian Empire in the Far East could not frighten the Japanese.

This kind of diplomatic note of stern warning, if it had been sent by Shinra or Britain, would have had some deterrent effect, but the Russian Empire was still a little short of it.

However, Minister Fotoriak was not worried, as this was an embassy district, and there was not only one Russian embassy, but also British and Shinra embassies a few hundred meters away.

They were not the only ones to be affected by the commotion outside, but the neighbors as well.

It would have been enough to make a scene for so long. Even if it's just to get a good night's sleep, people will put pressure on the Japanese government to do something about it.

You know that the last thing you need in Japan is extremists. The average Japanese can't tell the difference between the looks of Europeans, and the whites are all against it anyway.

If things get really bad, everyone's life will not be easy. Injuries are too common.

"There was a bang.

"What was that noise?"

Fotoriak was certain that this was not a gunshot, that the sound of bullets firing was not like that, and he had some experience with it.

Besides, anyone who could serve as an embassy guard was not an idiot, and even if he despised the Japanese, he knew where this place was.

If there were hundreds or thousands of Russian troops stationed here, there would be no problem, just do it.

Unfortunately for the embassy guards, there were only a dozen of them. Compared to the black-crowded protesters outside, they are really insignificant, even if they have guns in their hands.

One has to bow one's head under the eaves. With the disparity in strength, no matter how angry you are inside, you have to hold it in first.

"Glass is broken, someone is throwing rocks at the embassy."

This is just the beginning. People are blind followers, and there is no shortage of followers of anything as long as someone takes the lead.

There was a lot of crackling and popping, and the rocks flying around were not only capable of shattering glass, but of hurting people as well.

The situation was heading toward chaos, the frenzy was igniting, and everyone was getting bolder.

No one noticed that just a few hundred meters away, a black barrel of a gun was pointed at the protesting crowd.

"Aim the shot at the one with the flag up, and be a little more discerning."

......