The Vienna Conference continues, and the refugee issue, which should have garnered significant attention, has been unconsciously overlooked by all. The Russian representatives remain silent, the Prussian representatives feign ignorance, and with no one seeking help, the international community naturally assumes the matter has passed. Unnoticed by many, the primary mission of the troops along the Prussian-Russian border has shifted from combat to suppressing refugee uprisings. Since April, the number of refugees fleeing to Austria has drastically decreased, and by May, there were virtually no border crossings. What transpired during this period is unknown to Franz, and he dares not inquire. According to estimates based on data collected by the Austrian government, the Russo-Prussian War has resulted in at least four million deaths and over six million displaced individuals. Including local militias and guerrilla forces, approximately 1.768 million Prussian soldiers have been killed, with 382,000 wounded; around 1.433 million Russian soldiers have been killed, with 671,000 wounded; and there have been about 800,000 civilian casualties, the majority within the Prussian-Polish Federation. This is not surprising, as the largely similar war casualties between Prussia and Russia are largely due to the contributions of Polish local militias and guerrilla forces. Bandits and local militias may have also been included in the count, as there’s no way to distinguish them, and the Russian military has tallied all resistance forces as part of their combat achievements. After abandoning Warsaw, Poland became enemy-occupied territory, so there’s no concept of wounded on that side since the Russians would not tend to enemy casualties. Meanwhile, the Prussian casualty figures come solely from the soldiers of the Kingdom of Prussia. Calculating solely for the Kingdom of Prussia, the number of deaths should be around 566,000, plus 382,000 wounded, approaching the one million mark, and surpassing it when civilian casualties are included. With a population base of ten million in the Kingdom of Prussia, this war has effectively wiped out an entire generation. The massive loss of young adults has led to a sharp decline in the labor force, making post-war development prospects for the Kingdom of Prussia rather bleak. In contrast, the Russian Empire is in a much better position. Despite their heavy casualties, compared to the Russian Empire’s population base of eighty million, the battlefield losses amount to less than three percent. Theoretically, the loss of this portion of the labor force could be compensated for within the next five to ten years. Of course, the calculation isn’t that simple. The massive loss of young adults will also affect future population growth, which is an ongoing issue. In war, the civilians always suffer the most, and this time is no exception. The Russian scorched earth policy has additionally increased the number of refugees. Six million displaced individuals does not necessarily mean that all of them have become refugees. Those with better economic conditions fled to other countries for refuge early on. This group is likely the smallest, possibly fewer than one hundred thousand. Additionally, approximately two hundred thousand have passed Austria’s immigration application and settled in its colonies. Before the fall of Warsaw, the Prussian government was still providing relief to refugees, and a portion of the fortunate ones have found new jobs and established new homes. This group numbers around three hundred thousand, most of whom were previously resettled Rhineland immigrants by the Prussian government, possessing skills and stronger survival capabilities. Apart from these people, the rest are genuine refugees. While the theoretical number is five hundred and forty thousand, in reality, it is certainly not that high. Many who were weak or ill met their end at the beginning of their escape, and the number of those who managed to flee is at most between four hundred and seven hundred to eight hundred thousand. From the onset of the Russo-Prussian War to its aftermath, Austria has taken in a total of 1.436 million refugees, and it is unlikely that this number will exceed 1.5 million under current circumstances. The protests from the Austrian government have had an effect. Neither Prussia nor Russia dared to drive the refugees towards Austria, and the refugee wave that Franz feared most did not materialize. It has been over four months since the refugee crisis fully erupted. After such a long period without relief, very few are likely to remain. This means that the death toll from the refugee crisis has directly surpassed the total number of combat deaths from both Prussia and Russia. Without calculation, one wouldn’t know, but once tallied, it’s startling. Adding up all the data, the direct population loss from this Russo-Prussian War exceeds eight million, with indirect population losses surpassing ten million. In this era, there are fewer than fifteen countries worldwide with a population exceeding eight million, and on the European continent, there are only eight: Austria, Russia, France, Britain, Spain, Germany, Prussia, and the Nordic Federation. Among these, the Nordic Federation has a population of only eight million, and the German Federal Empire has a population of just thirteen million. Whether the Kingdom of Prussia can maintain a population of eight million post-war is still unknown. There’s no doubt that such staggering data must be released. How can people appreciate the value of peace without understanding the horrors of war? Looking at this substantial statistical report, Prime Minister Felix lamented, “The Russo-Prussian War is the pinnacle in the history of human warfare. After this battle, the era of continental wars has come to an end!” Looking at the solemn face of the Prime Minister, Franz couldn’t help but suspect that he was truly frightened, otherwise how could he have come to such a conclusion? Glancing around at the others, Franz noticed with some dismay that, apart from himself as the emperor, everyone else seemed to be deeply immersed in the staggering figure of “eight million deaths.” Observing their expressions, Franz strongly suspected that once this data was released, a wave of anti-war sentiment would sweep across Europe. Especially for the many smaller nations, whose total populations do not even reach eight million, how could they possibly fill the bottomless pit of war? Franz interjected, “Alright, everyone. No matter how great the losses from the Russo-Prussian War are, they should not be our headache. Whether or not a major war will break out on the European continent again should be left to time to verify. What we need to consider now is the upcoming changes in the international landscape. The brutality of the war has exceeded our previous expectations, and its impact has also gone beyond what was anticipated. It is now imperative that we re-evaluate our plans.” There’s no helping it. International politics is ever-changing, and sticking to a plan is simply not feasible. With the shift in the international situation, failing to adapt immediately would inevitably lead to being left behind. After a brief pause, Foreign Minister Wessenberg said, “Your Majesty, the Russo-Prussian War has shown everyone the brutality of war, and in the future, decision-making will be more cautious. Under normal circumstances, nations will deliberately avoid waging war on the European continent, and international competition will gradually shift from Europe to overseas. This world has been largely divided up, and the competition for overseas colonies and markets is likely to become unprecedentedly fierce.” This is an inevitable outcome. The cost of waging war on the European continent is too high, and it’s easy to provoke widespread anger, with the spoils of war not necessarily covering the expenses. A specific reference can be made to this Russo-Prussian War, where the Russian government, despite winning the war, found that the spoils were not enough to compensate for even half of the war losses. In this context, unless absolutely necessary, nations will certainly avoid the outbreak of war. In a sense, the Russo-Prussian War has also enhanced Austria’s international influence. The Russians, relying on human wave tactics, overwhelmed the Prussian-Polish Federation, refreshing everyone’s perspective. Before this, the European wars that broke out only needed to consider whether there was money or not. Now it’s different, as nations must also consider whether they have the manpower. As the scale of war grows, the traditional notion that having money means having soldiers has been rendered obsolete by the times. In terms of sheer numbers, Russia and Austria undoubtedly occupy the top, and with the inclusion of overseas territories, Austria’s war potential even surpasses that of the Russian Empire. Following closely is Greater France, with a total population of nearly sixty million, leaving other countries far behind. The Russians have proven their strength with numbers, firmly securing their position as the fourth power on the European continent. The political landscape of Europe’s three major powers is showing a trend towards developing into four major powers. On the seas, the Royal Navy’s superpower status is very stable, with Britain’s maritime supremacy as solid as a rock, while France and Austria, the two chasers, can only look on from behind. On land, France and Austria stand side by side, with the Russians following closely. Before the Russo-Prussian War, everyone agreed that the French army was far superior. Now, with ideological perspectives challenged, opinions have changed. The French Army has a more illustrious record of achievements, but Austria can muster greater numbers and has a stronger comprehensive national power, giving the impression of comparable strength. At sea, everyone knew they couldn’t beat the British, and on land the forces were nearly equal, so fighting would only result in mutual destruction. In this situation, expecting Britain, France, and Austria to go head-to-head is unrealistic. The three major powers, holding the largest shares, cannot undermine each other. They can only use their strength overseas to bully the weaker nations. Franz nodded and then said, “Exactly. In the coming international struggles, most conflicts will take place overseas. Once the unclaimed territories are divided, it will be the smaller countries’ turn to suffer. If nothing unexpected happens, the naval feast is about to begin again. However, as long as no one challenges the British naval supremacy, this feast will not last too long. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should secretly approach France and Russia to try to sign a treaty that limits the size of their armies, in order to avoid a full-scale continental war.” Frankly speaking, Franz also wanted to challenge British naval supremacy, but his own strength was insufficient, so he had to reluctantly give up. It is not simply a matter of building more ships. Although Austria’s shipbuilding industry might have a chance to compete with the British, they fall short in other aspects. The Austrian navy has never really encountered any formidable opponents, so it naturally hasn’t had the opportunity to accumulate much combat experience. Its best experience has been in suppressing pirates. If its shortcomings in this area can be offset by having a large number of warships, then the real weakness is the lack of funds. Austria’s financial revenue is by no means low, but once the continental army is maintained, it simply cannot afford to pursue naval supremacy. The army is different from the navy. In wartime, even a limited-size army can be quickly mobilized. Drafting army limitation treaties serves more as psychological reassurance than as a binding constraint. Of course, something is better than nothing. Before a war breaks out, such measures can indeed save a significant amount of financial expenditure. Saving on army expenses means that more funds can be invested in the navy. Even if this doesn’t affect British naval supremacy, narrowing the gap in strength with the Royal Navy would still be a great victory.
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