The Russian Navy suddenly launched an offensive and occupied the Baltiysk Region, stunning all of Europe. Many believed the Kingdom of Prussia was finished.
One glance at the map made it clear: the Kingdom of Prussia's entire coastline lay along the Baltic Sea, which was within the Russian Navy's sphere of influence.
From the very start of the war, the Danish Navy had sealed off the Prussians' sea lanes, forcing strategic supplies from Britain and France to be transferred overland.
In the early stages, the Tsarist Government had overlooked the navy's role. Without attacking the Prussian coast and merely confronting them on land, the Kingdom of Prussia still had the strength to fight.
But things were different now. Unable to achieve a breakthrough on land, the Russians had turned their gaze to the sea, exploiting their naval advantage to strike at the Kingdom of Prussia.
It was an unsolvable problem. The Russians could launch amphibious landings anywhere, while Prussia could not defend every point.
At Vienna Palace, Foreign Minister Wessenberg said, "Yesterday afternoon, the Russian envoy submitted a new loan application. They intend to use Prussian Saxony as collateral to borrow 30 million Divine Shields."
Using an enemy's territory as collateral for a loan—only the Tsarist Government could pull off something like that. No, perhaps this was not collateral at all. It was more likely a sale.
Given the Tsarist Government's financial state, the chance of repaying on time was extremely slim. In the end, they would most likely sell off the collateral to settle the debt.
The prerequisite was that the Russians won this war and tore this piece of flesh from the Kingdom of Prussia.
Franz asked with concern, "What does the Saxon Government think? Are they interested in paying to buy this land back?"
Prussian Saxony