With the decline of the Kingdom of Prussia, the once awesome Junker aristocratic group also inevitably declined.

In fact, the decline of the Junker aristocracy was not only due to defeat, but even after defeat, they remained the largest political force in the Kingdom of Prussia.

The real reason for the decline of the Junker aristocracy is that there is no successor in the political arena. There is no way, there are so many deaths on the battlefield that the reserves cannot keep up.

As a direct result of the two Russo-Prussian wars, 56 percent of the Junkers lost their land altogether, and 17 percent of the noble families lost their heirs.

The reserve forces suffered heavy losses, and the important positions in the original government, which were held by the Junker aristocracy, inevitably had to be relinquished.

A turnip and a pit, the contraction of the Junker aristocratic group, is also accompanied

The rise of other political forces.

Over time, the political landscape of the Kingdom of Prussia slowly changed. To this day, although the Junckers are still an important political force in Prussia, the "army owns the state" is completely history.

Especially after the restoration of the Holy Roman Empire, the position of the Junker aristocracy was once again impacted.

Before that, although they had lost their dominance over the country, they did not dare to despise any political faction in Prussia by virtue of their control of the army.

It's different now, there's an extra boss on the head. If you want to overturn the table, you must first consider the feelings of the boss.

Otherwise, the table will be overturned in the morning, and the counterinsurgency army will be killed in the evening, so how can you have fun?

In addition to asking for money, Schlieffen and his entourage also had an important task, which was to strengthen relations with the Vienna Palace.

The European aristocracy is a family, no joke. It has only been three years since the Holy Roman Empire was restored, but the Junker aristocracy had been in contact with the Habsburgs thirty years earlier, or even earlier.

A closer look at the origins of the lords Franz divided reveals many well-known noble surnames in Germany, including those of the Junker nobility.

One or two can be said to be a coincidence, ten or eight is a very coincidence, but the number can be magnified to eight hundred, then it is not a coincidence that can be explained.

The reason for this is very simple: the lands in Germany are all owned, and the sons of the nobles are not necessarily single.

Unless it is a big noble, it can be arranged. Otherwise, only the eldest son can inherit the family business, and the second son must fend for himself.

This is true for all members of the lineage, not to mention the side lineage. In fact, the vast majority of aristocratic side branches, except for a noble surname, are ordinary people.

Seeing that the British and French colonial empires made a lot of money overseas, the people in Germany were naturally envious, jealous and hateful, including the aristocracy.

When the Vienna government issued a call to join the colonial wave, everyone's reaction was relatively calm, and when Franz sacrificed the Great Law of Separation, it was no longer bearable.

Regardless of whether the territory is remote or not, the attributes that can make money and pass on the family exist. For most people, even if they don't get a knighthood, it's a good idea to harvest a farm.

With the development of the immigration policy one after another, more and more Germans participated in the colonial movement, and the nobility was naturally indispensable.

With good education, excellent military literacy, and the support of family resources and connections behind them, these people quickly stood out.

"No one asks about the poor in the downtown area, but the rich have distant relatives in the mountains."

The same applies to the European continent, and the aristocratic world is also realistic. Once you make a fortune, whether it is a collateral line or a descendant, your voice in the family will be greatly increased.

People have circles, and when they go overseas, they naturally have overseas circles, plus a series of marriages. The Holy Roman Empire had not yet been restored, but the German nobility had merged first.

Since the ruling classes have completed their convergence in the process of making the cake bigger, the unification of the German regions is also a matter of course.

It seems to be a logical thing, but behind this is also "some people are proud, and some people are disappointed".

Although the Junker aristocracy was also involved, the height of the colonial wave thirty years ago also happened to be the highlight of the Kingdom of Prussia.

With the victory of the First Russo-Prussian War, Prussia seized large tracts of land from the Russians, and the Junker nobles also made a lot of money.

Attention is all in Europe, and those involved in overseas colonization movements are marginalized, and the resources available are almost negligible.

After the defeat of the Second Russo-Prussian War, the Juncker group not only lost a lot of money politically and economically, but the younger generation died in large numbers, and they wanted to mix their strength.

One wrong step, one wrong step.

Missing the wave of colonization, the Junkers not only lost the gains in the colonization process, but more importantly, after the restoration of the Holy Roman Empire, the Junkers had little influence in the empire.

In fact, it was not only the Junkers who were damaged, but the entire Kingdom of Prussia did not have a high voice in the empire.

Although their military strength is still second only to Austria among all states, they are not even ranked in the top ten when it comes to the right to speak.

In a word, "there is no one in the DPRK".

Although the small state was limited in size, the ruling class and the Vienna government colluded early. The investment was made in advance, and the younger generations were sent to Austria for development early.

There are their people in the overseas colonies, their juniors in the imperial army, and their children can also be seen in the central government.

Decades have passed, and it is gold that has long since glittered. What was invested at the beginning is now being fed back into politics.

There are people in the DPRK, and they can always bring some convenience. If the Prussian military's predicament had been left to other influential states, the problem would have been solved long ago.

Isn't it just a lack of military spending, and it's not that there is no way to solve it. Not to mention getting the same standards of the Central Army, but raising the standards of central government funding can always be operated.

The Kingdom of Prussia is also a frontier, with the Nordic Confederation to the north and the Russian Empire to the east. It is completely reasonable to ask the central government to bear 40% of military spending.

In addition, it is also possible to take on the assignment of foreign stationing to obtain subsidies from the central government.

If you're lucky, if you encounter it, you might be able to catch two combat missions, and then there will be no problem.

Of course, the more money is taken from the central government, the greater the impact will be, and the autonomy will definitely be greatly affected.

There is no way to do it, and it is impossible for you to take all the benefits. Whose food is eaten, and who lives for, this is a matter of course.

The army of the Kingdom of Prussia now has a high degree of autonomy, and it is naturally not high to be able to get military expenses from the emperor.

Like all hinterland states that do not pose a military threat, the central government bears only 25 per cent of military spending.

The reason given by the War Department is very simple: there is no foreign military threat.

No kidding, it's serious.

The War Office also gave a reasonable, detailed explanation: the Russian Empire was an ally of the empire and did not need to be guarded; The Nordic Confederation, on the other hand, was limited in strength and posed no threat to the empire.

The same thing, in other words, is two different outcomes. However, both arguments are reasonable, and it is impossible to distinguish between right and wrong simply on the surface, and it is difficult to even justify them.

As a member of the Prussian military, Schlieffen naturally did not agree with the claims of the Reich War Office. But there was no way, he found a reason to refute.

The fact that there is a contradiction between Prussia and Russia does not mean that there is also a contradiction between the HRE and the Russians. The Russian-Austrian alliance lasted for many years, and the Vienna government had enough reason to believe that the tsarist government would not invade.

As for the Nordic Federation, it goes without mentioning. When it comes to the Nordic threat theory, Schlieffen himself feels ashamed.

In order to find a reason for military spending, Schlieffen also racked his brains. As for the reasons for the preparation in advance, from the moment he arrived in Vienna, he decisively chose to give up.

The theory of the Russian threat is not easy to talk about, and if the Russian threat is really emphasized, perhaps the Vienna government will send troops to help them defend the frontier.

Specifically, we can refer to the Principality of Luxembourg in the west, where the defense problem is borne by the Central Army, and the state army only plays a supporting role.

If that happens, the autonomy of the Prussian military will be completely lost. It was also reasonable for the Central Army to assume the responsibility of border defense and to set up a military district in Prussia.

"Three lives are unfortunate, and the county is attached to Guo".

With a military district overhead that coordinates regional armed forces, the Prussian military has become the unlucky "magistrate", and it is only a matter of time before it is overhead.

……

In a military camp on the outskirts, the Prussian officer corps participating in the military parade was sweating profusely on the field at the moment.

As the commander, Schlieffen was sad at the moment.

"Why, are you still worried about military spending?"

A familiar voice sounded from behind, pulling Schlieffen out of his musings. I saw him frown, and then asked, "Mackenson, didn't you ask knowingly?"

What do you think is the other thing that can give me such a headache besides this big trouble? ”

Mackensen replied solemnly: "Yes, and there are many more!" ”

"For example, the issue of unified training and distribution of officers proposed by the War Department, and the plan proposed by the General Staff to change the guard of various units in turn."

After the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire, Franz regained command of the army, but this reinadequacy was also very limited.

The German states were accustomed to their own ways, and it was obviously impossible to take power back from them at once.

In addition to using the distribution of military funds to meddle in the armies of various states, under the instruction of Franz, the War Department and the General Staff also put forward tentative proposals.

It is only a "temptation" to unify the training and distribution of officers and the rotation of troops to garrison them, which on the surface seems to be very ordinary, but in reality they have a bearing on the right to appoint personnel and the right to command the armed forces in peacetime.

If these powers were obtained, the so-called state armies would cease to exist.

In particular, personnel rights. As long as the War Department assigns officers from various states to each other, and their own children cannot serve in their own countries, the inheritance of power is broken.

In peacetime, the command of the armed forces also has a tremendous impact. The rotation of the guard directly broke the tradition of the local stationing of the state army. If you are not stationed in your own country, is the army of the state still the army of the state?

When it comes to the core interests of the military aristocracy of the state, such a proposal is simply not operational.

If it is really forced, it will not be possible to make the newly unified Holy Roman Empire, and it will immediately fall into a situation of fragmentation.

After all, the current stall of the HRE Empire is large, and it is supported by the ancient traditional feudal model.

If the central government unscrupulously usurps the rights of the state, what will the overseas fiefdom nobles think? No one wants to be fortunate enough to build a foundation and finally make a wedding dress for someone else.

It takes many years to build credibility, but it often only takes one time to destroy it.

Schlieffen shook his head disdainfully: "Nonsense, these proposals are all jokes, they are impossible to pass at all, and they are not even qualified to vote in the parliament."

The constitution makes it clear that the army of the state is under the dual command of the emperor and the king. Neither the War Department nor the General Staff had the power to meddle in the armies of the states.

The value of their existence is only to assist the emperor in managing the army, not to manage the army for the emperor, which is a completely different concept.

It seems that you are in a good mood, could it be that you went out to meet friends and had a windfall? ”

At the mention of the word "friend", Mackensen's expression suddenly became unnatural. Unlike Schlieffen, who was originally born in the Junker aristocracy, Mackensen is a representative of the rise of the grassroots.

Born in Saxon Mackensen, he was able to enter the Prussian army because of an accident.

His grandfather was a commander of the Hanoverian cavalry, but by his father's generation he had fallen into the middle of the family, not only did he not have a noble title, but he was also reduced to a land economy.

As a young man, Mackensen aspired to become a cavalry officer. At that time, Austria had not yet grown and the Kingdom of Prussia had not decayed.

Soon the opportunity arose, on the one hand, Austria opened up overseas colonies to recruit people; On the one hand, the outbreak of the Russo-Prussian War and the Berlin government erected a flag to recruit soldiers.

The young and vigorous Mackensen decisively chose to join Prussia and do the Russians which nasty ghost.

With his extraordinary talent and luck, Mackensen quickly stood out and was even unexpectedly appreciated by Kaiser Wilhelm II, but unfortunately the Kingdom of Prussia was defeated.

At this time, it is obviously impossible to make a U-turn. As an ordinary person, Mackenson, who stepped out in one step, could only go on hard.

Limited by the stage of the Kingdom of Prussia, Mackensen, who was born as a commoner, soon hit the ceiling.

One turnip and one pit, the Prussian army was limited in size and could not afford too many high-ranking generals, and Mackensen, who had no background, could only stop at the colonel and regimental commander.

This is already a high allocation, unless it is a significant increase in the position, otherwise the colonel is the end of Mackensen.

It is a pity that the Kingdom of Prussia has a total of four divisions, and the Vienna government recognizes no more than fifteen generals, and this little position, the Junker nobles themselves are not enough, where will it be his turn to take the position?

Born as a civilian, it would be a miracle to be able to mix in the current position. Looking at the entire Prussian army, there is no second one.

In contrast, childhood friends have caught the express train of Austria's rise. Cut through thorns all the way and took the lead in crossing the threshold.

If that's all it is, it's nothing, it's normal for different national conditions to develop differently. The point is that the Holy Roman Empire is unified, and this difference is obvious.

One is the commander of the major general division of the Central Army, and the other is the colonel of the state army, and you don't have to think about it to know whose future is more promising.

This is no longer a question of ability, no matter how powerful Mackensen is, there are only a few positions in the Prussian army, and if the people in front do not come down, the people behind will have no chance to fill them.

Although it is a little gloomy, it is not regretful. After all, those who can get up from civilians are also a minority in Austria.

Mackensen's friends were able to rush out, and in addition to luck and ability, the surname also played a role.

The declining aristocratic side is similar to the commoners in normal times, but once they turn over, they will soon be able to renew their connections with the help of the family behind them.

After a brief moment of stunnedness, Mackenson replied, "Sort of! He suggested that we should not act rashly and strengthen our relations with the Vienna Palace first.

After all, when we were strong, we offended Austria no less.

It is not enough to settle accounts after the autumn, but there are certainly many people in the Vienna government who are unhappy with us. These people may not be able to do anything, but it is easy to break our things. ”