The lack of financial resources presented a dilemma. Located in the northwestern part of Italy, the Kingdom of Sardinia boasted a reputation as one of the country's wealthiest realms. This reality, however, did not change the nature of Sardinia as an impoverished kingdom. With a territory of only 70,000 square kilometers and a population of only 5-6 million, the region lacked substantial resources, while its fledgling industrial sector was just beginning to take shape. Nevertheless, their spirits remained unshaken despite their financial hardships. They had persistently sought the unification of Italy, and it was precisely because of their ambitious aspirations that the Kingdom of Sardinia found itself even poorer. To achieve the goal of Italian unification, they relied heavily on their military power. As a result, the Kingdom of Sardinia bore the burden of significantly higher military expenditures, leading to a perpetual state of fiscal deficit. It was not until 1852 that the legendary Prime Minister Camillo Benso de Cavour appeared. He initiated reforms in the fiscal and tax system, which led to an increase in government revenue. In addition, he focused on strengthening the infrastructure by investing in railways and ports and promoting industrial and commercial development. This series of measures enabled the Kingdom of Sardinia to overcome its financial crisis. Prime Minister Azeglio agreed with a worried expression, “Your Majesty speaks the truth. We are indeed in dire financial straits. This war has taken us by surprise, and our preparations were inadequate. The occupation of Lombardy has indeed consumed a considerable part of our financial and material resources, far exceeding our original budget. We have already spent more than 28 million lire. (1 lira = 4.5 grams of silver) Because of the war, we cannot rely on tax revenues from Lombardy this year, and we will continue to have net expenses in the second half of the year. In addition, the French have abruptly canceled their previously promised weapons assistance. Now we are forced to use funds from our limited war budget to purchase weapons and equipment, which will require an additional expenditure of at least 17 million lire. When we combine these two factors, our war funds have already reached almost 45% of our budget. We are also maintaining an army of nearly 200,000 men, which costs us at least 1 million lire a day. If we go on like this, we will be bankrupt in two months at the most. Upon hearing the Prime Minister’s explanation, Minister of War Franzini’s first reaction was one of disbelief. He immediately asked, “Prime Minister, how could we have spent so much money? According to our plans, these 100 million lire should have been enough to sustain our operations for half a year!” “Franzini, are you accusing me of embezzlement?” Prime Minister Azeglio replied angrily. Embezzlement? How many officials in this era are not involved in corruption? But it’s better not to reveal this well-known secret, or else everyone’s reputation will be tarnished. Franzini quickly explained, “No, Prime Minister, I didn’t mean to question your intentions. I’m just curious about these expenditures!” Upon hearing Franzini’s answer, Azeglio’s expression softened slightly and he calmly explained, “Let me give you a rough estimate to show you where all this money has been spent. In Lombardy, it cost 8.65 million lire to bribe the liberals, 10.5365 million lire to solve food problems, 3.657 million lire to help war refugees, 3.8623 million lire to set up administrative agencies... Due to the constant revolutions in Europe, the prices of weapons and equipment on the international market have increased by 37%. Your Ministry of War also participated in this process, so there’s no need to ask me, right? According to our original plans, we didn’t expect to recruit an additional 70,000 troops in Lombardy, but with the increased numbers, of course, the costs have gone up!” After hearing the Prime Minister’s explanation, Franzini had nothing more to say. There was no choice. After all, their army lacked the confidence to fight the Austrians. To increase their chances of success, they resorted to the simplest solution — expanding the army. Before the Industrial Revolution, agrarian states had limited mobilization capabilities and were unable to achieve widespread participation in warfare. In fact, the Kingdom of Sardinia mobilized over a hundred thousand people internally, reaching the limits of its mobilization capacity. At this point, the people of Lombardy were showing great enthusiasm for joining the military, and it wouldn’t make sense to turn away capable soldiers. At this stage, however, Franzini could not afford to consider such factors. As Minister of War, he had to prioritize the interests of the military and minimize the risk of failure. “Prime Minister, the British are supporting this war. Can’t we ask the British for another loan?” Prime Minister Azeglio frowned and said with a bitter smile, “Getting a loan from the British is not easy. We paid a high price for a loan of 3 million pounds. Now that the war has begun, if we were to ask them for another loan, the terms would probably be not as simple.” (1 pound ≈ 25 lire) There’s no way around it. This is an almost foolproof tactic used by the British. They lure people in by offering a loan upfront to get them on board. But as the saying goes, “Getting on the boat is easy, getting off is hard”. Once you’re in, you have no choice but to let them take the lead. “Well, what about the French? Weren’t they the ones who wanted us to drive the Austrians out of Italy? Have they no intention of helping us now?” Franzini persisted, unwilling to give up. Charles Albert sneered and said, “Hmph! The French are a bunch of unreliable bastards. They’ve even reneged on their promise to supply us with weapons and equipment. Do you really think we can still rely on them?” The others did not pursue the issue any further. Initially, there was support from the French, but when they learned of Sardinia’s annexation of Lombardy, the matter fell apart. According to the French demands, the independence of Lombardy was a prerequisite, which was something they couldn’t accept. Independence may be easy, but reunification is difficult. If the present opportunity is missed, will the Kingdom of Sardinia still have a chance to annex Lombardy? After calculating for a moment, Franzini said, “Your Majesty, according to the current situation, Venice is guarded by the renowned Austrian general Radetzky, who is a cunning old fox. After one defeat, he will not fall for the same trick again. It will be impossible for us to end the war within two months if the Austrian army simply stays within the city walls and avoids a decisive battle with us. Even if we take Venice, the war will continue if the Austrians are unwilling to negotiate peace. Therefore, we must still find ways to finance the war.” He lays the cards on the table and points out that ending the war is not up to them alone. Unless the forces of the Kingdom of Sardinia can march all the way to Vienna and force the Austrian government to surrender, it is simply impossible. This is clearly an unattainable goal. Everyone involved is a rational politician. Even if they have faith in the military of the Kingdom of Sardinia, no one believes that it’s possible to achieve such a goal. In this situation, if the government wants to win the war, it must find a way to raise military funds. Otherwise, if they lose the war due to lack of funds, it will not be the responsibility of the Ministry of War. Prime Minister Azeglio sighed and said, “Well, Minister Franzini, we will find a way to solve the military funding problem, but you must ensure victory. We cannot afford to lose this war.” “Prime Minister, rest assured. Marshal Badoglio is leading this war, and he has already defeated the Austrians once. Dealing with a group of defeated enemies is no problem!” Franzini quickly reassured. After a moment of silence, Charles Albert suddenly asked, “Prime Minister, how do you plan to address the funding gap?”
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The Li Qi hurts my brain so bad.
ReplyDeleteAt least make it sounds european
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