Holy Roman Empire

The tense international situation not only drove up prices, but also affected international trade, with nearly all countries experiencing a decline in trade volume.

France and Austria, especially at the epicenter of the storm, suffered the heaviest losses. Companies engaging in international trade between France and Austria were busy collecting accounts receivable and no longer accepting reservations, insisting on cash transactions.

There was no helping it, for no one knew when the war would break out. Once war ensued, one could not expect the adversary to make payments.

Contracts were useless in these conditions; the destructive power of war was astonishing. Even if one were victorious, the opponent would have no money to pay the balance; and if defeated, it was even worse—there was never a case where the victor paid the loser.

This was true for nations as well as businesses. A ceasefire agreement could erase all previous debts.

If foreign trade fell, so be it, as the outbreak of a major war in Europe was imminent, and capitalists, eager to profit from the nation's misfortune, were indifferent to minor losses in foreign trade.

In the Palace of Versailles, ever since the decision to implement the Central Europe strategy, Napoleon IV had become extremely tense.

Confident as he was, the lesson of Napoleon's previous failures was an unshakeable shadow in his mind.

Napoleon IV asked eagerly, "How far has our diplomatic work progressed, and how many countries have accepted our goodwill?"

Forming alliances—Napoleon IV had no illusions about that. Seeking the tiger's hide was clearly something European countries would not engage in.

France also lacked sufficient interests to lure others into the war; the best choice was to divide the European nations, preventing them from uniting against France.

Foreign Minister Karl Chardlets calmly responded, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has initially completed its task. We have persuaded Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, and the Nordic Federation to remain neutral.

If the military does not plan to deploy troops from Switzerland, then Switzerland will also remain neutral in this war.

The British support us, and the Russians wanted to mediate this war. Rejected by us, the Tsarist Government was very angry and might side with Austria.

However, they will remain neutral and observe the situation until the Austrian army is defeated before the Russians would intervene.

This may affect our profits, but it won't affect the outcome of the war. For the Tsarist Government, a strong Austria does not serve their interests.

Aside from these somewhat influential countries, Greece and Montenegro have very limited power and no ability to influence the war; heavily influenced by Austria, they have no value in being courted.

Our true enemies are only Belgium, the German Federation, and Austria; specific gains depend on the military's performance on the battlefield."

It was clear Karl Chardlets was an optimist. Even facing three enemies alone, he was still convinced that the French Army could win.

As for diplomatic work, achieving this much was already not easy. Even with help from the British, the result Karl Chardlets achieved in such a short time was substantial.

Belgium and the German Federation were the targets for French expansion; Austria was France's biggest competitor. It was impossible to avoid these three enemies.

Indeed, the French government had also considered dividing the three countries, such as annexing Belgium first and then capturing the Rhineland region after digestion.

Unfortunately, the British hidden behind the scenes would not agree. Austria, which had signed an alliance with Belgium, would also not tolerate this.

Of course, if France first targeted the German Federation, there was a very High chance that Belgium would remain neutral, as survival is a small country's primary task.

Unfortunately, Belgium's geographical location was too strategic; to attack the Germany Region, it was best to pass through Belgium, otherwise, they had to traverse mountains.

This would not only delay time but also have a very low chance of success. By comparison, it was more cost-effective to take down Belgium too, as their plan also included the annexation of Belgium.

Napoleon IV nodded and affirmed, "The Department of Foreign Affairs has done well this time; your next task is to keep these countries stable and prevent them from causing trouble."

Facing Belgium, the German Federation, and Austria alone, France would have to bear the pressure of a two-front war; if other European countries joined, the war would become unmanageable.

This wasn't because the French Army couldn't fight; it was simply impossible to cover so many places. Although the French Army had mobilized millions, the main force was still the original few hundred thousand, and other newly formed units could only perform well in favorable battles.

Once they had to deploy on multiple fronts, the French Army's advantage in combat power would not be clear. Even elite troops, if insufficient in numbers, could be worn down on the battlefield.

Unswayed by Napoleon IV's verbal praise, Karl Chardlets analysed, "Your Majesty, we are about to face a new trouble.

The Vienna Envoy conveyed that, a week ago, the Austrian Government and the Russians reached an agreement to buy out the planned grain exports of the Russian Empire this year at a 25% premium.

Two days ago, the Austrian Foreign Minister Weisenberg had a secret meeting with envoys from Belgium and Germany, likely reaching some form of agreement."

All signs indicate that this agreement is definitely targeted at us. If nothing unexpected happens, the three countries are going to impose an embargo on our supplies soon.

Other materials are manageable, but the problem is coal and food. Once the three countries enforce an embargo, we can only rely on the British for coal, and we must look overseas for food."

The French Government lacks a perfect emergency reserve system, even if there are reserves of food and coal, those are only hoarded by capitalists to profit from the war.

For an individual, it might be a huge figure; but for a country, it is merely a drop in the bucket.

Any issue with either energy or food can cause fatal damage, let alone problems with both at the same time.

Lack of coal is manageable, the United Kingdom is now our ally, and the London Government, wanting both France and Austria to both suffer, naturally cannot watch the French collapse due to a lack of coal.

At worst, it's just looting by taking advantage of the crisis, selling it at an exorbitant price. The French have used overpriced coal before, especially after they withdrew from the free trade system, facing retaliation with overpriced coal.

Food is a different story, as the British themselves are food importers and simply lack the capacity to support the French.

Of course, the food production cycle is not long, as long as we get through the toughest period, the problem can be resolved later on.

Finance Minister Roy Vernon exclaimed in shock, "A 25% surcharge? Have the Austrians lost their minds?

"Could it be that the Vienna Government has more money than they know how to spend? Even if they want to court the Russians, there's no need to go to such lengths."

Due to the tensed situation in Europe, international grain prices have already skyrocketed, and with an additional 25% price hike, the cost of grain would double from before.

Keep in mind that grain might be a bulk trading commodity; the Russians export millions of tons of grain every year. A doubling in price means the Austrian Government might incur losses of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of Divine Shields.

Prime Minister Terence Burkin shook his head, "No, the Austrians are not mad. If they don't seize the grain, then these grains might end up in our hands.

If nothing unexpected occurs, it's not just Russian grain that has been preemptively bought out, but also that from the American countries.

If they can't defeat us on the battlefield, they naturally resort to these despicable tactics. Besides, the cost they bear may not be as high as we imagine.

Be it the Russians or the American countries, they all are debtors to Austria, and as creditors, they can directly use the debts as compensations."

But if they think this can break us, they are underestimating us.
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In recent years we haven't been idle. Our large farm plan has been providing millions of tons of grain domestically each year, enough to meet most of our domestic needs.

In wartime, we can take extraordinary measures. The government can call on the public to save food, and issue temporary laws prohibiting the use of grain to feed livestock or to brew alcohol...

As long as we persist for a few months and defeat the enemy, these problems will be easily resolved."

With insufficient grain reserves and being unable to procure enough overseas, what else can be done besides finding ways to intercept?

Of course, it's to initiate the war early!

It's not that France doesn't produce grain; it's just that the production isn't enough to meet consumption, it doesn't mean that we are immediately going to run out of imported food.

The domestic food supply can last a few more months; as long as we win the war before the crisis erupts, then all problems can be easily resolved.

Upon hearing this bad news, the face of Napoleon IV instantly darkened.

At this time, he had to be grateful for insisting on promoting the large farm plan, otherwise, it would have been tragic now.

He didn't know how much grain the capitalists had stored, but usually, the storage period for a batch of grain would not exceed six months.

On one hand, storing for too long increases the storage cost and loss, and if the grain market stalls, with new grain becoming old, it becomes worthless;

on the other hand, holding too much grain ties up a lot of working capital, increasing operational risks.

After pondering for a while, Napoleon IV slowly said, "The Prime Minister is right, now we must find ways to save grain, and the government must announce this externally immediately.

The Foreign Ministry, starting now, will procure grain worldwide, I don't believe the Austrians can buy up all the grain."

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