Chapter 585: A Difficult Choice

  Chapter 572: A Difficult Choice

After entering the 19th century, the world became more and more polarized. “Stronger countries get stronger, weaker countries get weaker”, and the international landscape underwent a radical change.

The old empires grasped the first opportunity of the Industrial Revolution and preempted a large amount of resources, and for their own interests, they had begun to suppress those who came after them.

The British and Austrians made this move, seemingly to contain the expansion of France, but in reality it was also a collision between the old and new imperialist countries.

Not every country is the United States, and there are abundant resources and markets on the mainland. Newborn countries want to rise, is bound to seize enough resources and markets, this is the contradiction between the old and new empire.

The Kingdom of Prussia was not weak and would have been even stronger if it had annexed the Kingdom of Poland. With enough strength, but without the resources to match, Prussia was bound to be a challenger to the order in the future.

This had nothing to do with whether the government was peace-loving or not. If they didn’t develop industry, it was fine, but once they did, the raw materials and markets were the driving force to challenge the world order.

In the original time and space, the rise of the German Empire was too fast, the British overestimated the strength of the French, and when they reacted, it was already too late, and they could only personally engage in a world war.

In contrast, the rise of the Americans on the other side of the ocean is much more fortunate, its own resources are rich enough to dress up as a non-threatening “Uncle Sam”, successfully avoided the old empire’s suppression.

After a moment’s silence, Foreign Minister Jeffrey Friedman said: “Something is not right, the Anglo-Austrian conspiracy should be highly secretive, how could it be so easy for us to find out?

You have to know that this does not only involve us, but also the French. The Paris government, even if it is internally unstable, will not let Britain and Austria count on them.”

Intelligence coming too easily is the biggest loophole. Such a conspiracy, the people who knew about it were not necessarily more than ten, and each of them was a high-ranking member of the state, under normal circumstances there was no possibility of leaks.

William I brightened up and asked expectantly, “Are you saying that one of the British and Austrian countries intentionally leaked it, and that this alliance is not solid, but is only a temporary union because of the interests?”

Jeffrey Friedman shook his head, “No, it is true that both Britain and Austria want to take the Rhineland region from us, only that there may have been a disagreement on how to give it to the German Federal Empire.

The German Federal Empire is scattered, that’s because the Kingdom of Hanover, which dominates the central government, is limited in strength and doesn’t have the power to integrate the country.

Hanover’s territory is only 40% of the country’s size, and its population and economy are less than one-third of the country’s size.

Due to the influence of the system, the Reichstag, the highest authority in the German Federal Empire, still retained the traditional one-state, one-vote system. Whatever the central government wanted, the Reichstag could easily veto it.

After all these years, the German Confederation remained the same. Several attempts by Hanover to integrate the country were rejected by the Reichstag.

The German region had been divided for hundreds of years, and everyone was used to state politics, so it was almost impossible to change the situation.

But adding the Rhineland region would be different, if the Rhineland region was under the jurisdiction of the central government, then the power contrast would change.

Even if a single Hanoverian kingdom wanted to overturn the table, it would be no match for a bunch of states below, but with the addition of the Rhineland, the central government would have an absolute advantage.

From the standpoint of the Vienna government, there was no problem in giving the Rhineland to the German Federal Reich, but it had to be joined as a state.

Allowing the Kingdom of Hanover to grow larger was not conducive to Austria’s strategy of German unification. This was precisely what the British wanted most, and Britain and Austria had serious differences from the very beginning.

It is possible that the two countries fell apart, and the government in Vienna decided to sabotage the British plans and simply poked the message out.”

This is close to the truth, and now that the news has leaked, it will be impossible to fulfill the original plan.

Not only the outside world, but also within the German Federal Empire did not agree. The central government wanted to govern the Rhineland directly, and a bunch of small states below would not only not pay for it, but would also use the Reichstag to veto the territorial deal from a legal point of view.

Unless it was done in secret to create an established fact, the German federal government couldn’t even handle it internally.

It would have been a loose federation, not much different from medieval Germany, and what could the Emperor do if the vassal states below him didn’t buy it?

With the strength of the Hanoverian Kingdom, even if they wanted to unify the German Confederation by force, they did not have the strength. What’s more, there is Austria outside eyeing, a bad one to put themselves in.

William I rubbed his forehead, over seventy years of age, he is not so energetic, this complex international situation is too waste of brain.

Now he is very contradictory, on the one hand, do not want to see the German federal empire to develop and grow, increase the pressure of the Prussian kingdom’s national defense; on the other hand, want the German federal empire is strong, to cut off the Austrian road to the unification of Germany.

At this time he very much regret, if he was willing to take the risk, and Austria two parts of Germany, now the pattern will be very different.

“Alas!”

Sigh, William I: “We have little choice, now want to take the Rhineland region from our hands, I am afraid that not only Britain and Austria.

It is estimated that the Paris government also has the same idea, after all, the Rhineland region, whether it is independent, or fall into the hands of the German Federal Reich, or merge with Belgium, are easier to get their hands on than to stay in our hands.

What do you think would be more in our interest now?”

Prime Minister Mauch: “First of all rule out a sale to France, if it falls into the hands of the French, the balance is going to be upset.

I am afraid that Austria will not be able to hold the French at that time, who knows if that Napoleon IV is the second Napoleon, it is too dangerous to let France grow.

The only thing left to do is to let the Rhineland become independent, or sell it to Belgium or the German Federal Empire for a sum of money.

The latter also involves the Anglo-Austrian dispute, another stand-off. As things stand, it is too dangerous for us to take sides among the great powers.

I think selling to Belgium in exchange for a sum of money is more in our present interests, and the most important thing at the moment is to annex Poland and then digest it in preparation for the war with the Russians.”

That’s right, “present interests,” and in the long run it was surely in Prussia’s best interest to preserve the Rhineland.

However, this is impossible, the old empire is not stupid, unless they give up the annexation of Poland, or else good at playing the balance of the British and Austrians, will not be willing to give up.

In the long run, even if the Rhineland region is independent, secretly mastering the Rhineland is also more in line with Prussia’s interests than selling it.

In the short term it is not the same, the Berlin government is poor, even if it is able to secretly control the Rhineland, it is also a future thing, at the moment or first solve the financial crisis.

Selling to the German Confederation would necessitate a stand-off. Now that the Berlin government owes a debt to the British, it can only stand on the side of the British.

Now it’s cool, but offended Austria, the future of the Russo-Prussian War how to do?

According to the plan, the Berlin government was ready to bring Austria together to completely crush the Russian Empire. Not to solve the Russians as a mortal enemy, Prussia can never live in peace.

Minister of War Ron: “It’s not that simple, don’t forget the French. What are we going to do if the Paris government ventures out to occupy the Rhineland?

I don’t think Austria would fight a war with the French over the Rhineland, if they wanted to make a move, France did it when they annexed Italy.

I don’t think the Vienna government’s strategy was to unify the German region, Austria’s territory was big enough and populated enough that it wasn’t lacking anything.

From what the Vienna government did, it was more of a political slogan for them. Austria had already taken over half of the Balkans and was now attacking the Ottoman Empire.

If it goes well enough to occupy the Asia Minor peninsula, the eastern coast of the Mediterranean is all their territory, literally the second Byzantine Empire.”

Rebuild the Byzantine Empire, this ambition can not be in any way smaller than the unification of the German region. Austria did not clamor to rebuild the Byzantine Empire, but the territorial boundaries can not help but associate.

William I interrupted: “What Austria wants to do is not something we can stop. If they are really that ambitious, it would be a good thing for us.

To recreate the Byzantine Empire, the ones who have the greatest conflict of interest with them are the Russians and the French. Judging from the fact that the Vienna government let France annex the Italian regions, then the Russians should be the first to be targeted next.

Before the fall of the Russian Empire, we were all able to work together. But the Habsburgs are best at diplomacy, not military.

Franz is even the best of them, and after succeeding the throne Austria’s constant expansion using diplomacy, I don’t think they’ll suddenly become so aggressive, this is most likely a smokescreen they’re putting out on purpose.”

……

The government in Berlin is torn, the government in Paris is buzzing. There was constant factional strife in the government, with the Republicans, Orleanists, and Orthodoxes, who had been suppressed by Napoleon III, all active.

Napoleon IV did not have enough prestige to suppress the political forces on all sides, and could only play a balancing act among the factions according to the plan inherited from Napoleon III.

The imperial power was secured, but the party disputes became serious. Unfortunately partisanship was brought into the work of the government, and opposition for the sake of opposition was even more common.

The French Empire, which was scorned by all parties, was actually slow to make a decision at this time, which caused Napoleon IV a great headache.

If not for his father’s explanation, he was going to be dictatorial and make a decision directly. Fortunately, he held back, or he would have soon learned how low the bureaucrats’ lower limits were.

(End of chapter)