It's still very challenging to be neighbors with the French these days, and you have to be vigilant at all times.

The Rhineland is an enclave with a good neighbor, and the Prussian government was prepared to lose the Rhineland a long time ago, but it did not expect to lose it in this way.

The Prussian government could not admit the diplomatic pressure exerted by Britain and Austria, and could only choose to compromise. In the short term, the abandonment of the Rhineland was also a good thing for the Kingdom of Prussia.

After selling the Rhineland, not only could it get rid of the financial crisis, but also got rid of the threat of the French, and could concentrate its forces on confronting the Russians.

If you insist on not selling, maybe in the next Prussian War, the French will directly harden it. After the annexation of Italy, the Prussian government had no confidence in the discipline of the French.

If it weren't for the mutual containment of the great powers, the Rhineland would have been lost long ago. Don't look at the original time and space when the Kingdom of Prussia won the bet, and think that the military strength of the Kingdom of Prussia is above that of France, but in fact it is the opposite.

Perhaps the current military strength of the French Empire is not necessarily much stronger than that of the same period in history, but the strength on paper is very amazing. The standing army was twice as large as that of the Kingdom of Prussia, and its comprehensive national strength was more than three times that of the Kingdom of Prussia. (including French Italy and colonies)

After having the great enemy of the Russian Empire, and then facing France, it is definitely a brain water.

After some symbolic struggle, Prussian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Friedman reluctantly announced that the Rhineland region would be sold and auctioned at public for the highest price.

There is no doubt that this is a wedge between the British, French and Austrian Triple Alliance. If it were really a financial struggle, neither Belgium nor the German Federal Empire could be a match for France.

Austrian Minister Hummer: "There is no problem with your country auctioning off the Rhineland, but the Lyrinland is part of the German region, and the people living on it are Germans.

Taking into account all these factors, it is better for the Rhineland region to join the German state, and I suggest that this auction be attended by the countries of the German-speaking cultural sphere: Switzerland, Belgium, the Federal German Empire, and the New Holy Roman Empire.

As the proposer, we can avoid suspicion and withdraw from this auction. ”

"Avoiding suspicion" is completely gilding one's face, putting a piece of enclave under the noses of the French, who can sleep?

The European countries did not want the French to expand in Central Europe, and they did not want Austria to expand in Central Europe, even if they wanted to take the Rhineland.

The "enclave" is also relative, and if you face the French, it is indeed an enclave; If it were to be replaced by the Federal Reich of Germany, it would be a two-sided attack.

French Foreign Minister Montero stood up angrily: "No, since it is a public auction, it is naturally the one with the highest price." All the countries of Europe are eligible to participate, so how can they be narrowly limited to German states? ”

Being able to buy the Rhineland region with money, such a good thing, how can you miss it? Even if the opportunity is small, Montero must fight for it.

Hummel said-for-tat: "We are all civilized people, and we all know that to govern a place well, we cannot do without the support of the people.

Your country's cultural traditions are incompatible with the Rhineland, how can you manage relations with the local people? As a civilized country, we must respect the will of the people. ”

The "public opinion" thing was first developed by the French, and Napoleon III respected the will of the people. And it is a real democratically elected emperor, not a conspiracy to restore.

This does not mean that European countries really respect public opinion, and the ruling class often chooses to respect public opinion when it is beneficial to it, and pretends not to see it.

In order to kick France out, Hummel did not hesitate to raise the banner of "public opinion". This is both a profit and a political need.

As the leader of the German region, Austria has a responsibility to take the lead. Otherwise, where would Belgium and the Federal German Empire have the courage to fight with the French?

Seeing that the fire was almost over, the British Foreign Secretary, Marques, Marques, who had been watching the play: "Sir Hummel is right, as a member of a civilized society, we must respect the will of the people.

More than 95 percent of the population of the Rhineland region is of German descent, and the cultural traditions are more suitable for integration with the German state.

Now that the new Holy Roman Empire has withdrawn, the most suitable countries to participate in the auction are Belgium, the Federal German Empire, and Switzerland. ”

Britain and Austria have the same position, and European countries that are still waiting and watching have participated, and at this moment everyone is "respecting the will of the people".

……

More than a dozen countries are on the same page, and Montero cannot withstand the pressure. The reality is that no one wants to see France continue to expand. The so-called "public opinion" is a fig leaf, which everyone uses to frame their own image.

If the will of the people was respected, Ireland would have become independent, Scotland would have become independent, and the major colonial empires would have collapsed.

It's one thing to be true, it's another thing to say what is said. Everyone wants to save face, and it is necessary to say one thing and do another.

If there is no fig leaf, and France is too strong, everyone is worried that France will threaten its own security after it grows, how will everyone get along in the future?

"Humph!"

After snorting his displeasure, Montero chose to remain silent. There is no way, this occasion is not suitable for tongue fighting, everyone's attitude is very resolute, and there is no way to convince at all.

If they want to coerce and lure, they are led by Britain and Austria, and they are also humiliated, and France has not yet taken on the strength of Europe.

Montero's silence was quickly highly praised by everyone, and all kinds of sycophants came to his face, such as: "taking the overall situation into account", "having a sense of international responsibility", "respecting public opinion as a model......

However, when it falls into Monterol, it all becomes irony. If the goal is not achieved, no amount of good words will bring benefits.

As a politician, if you have received praise from all sides, don't rush to rejoice, it's better to calm down and reflect on it first.

Usually, there are only two situations that will be praised by everyone. The first situation is that when you die, everyone is always tolerant of the dead; The second case is that what you do is in their interest.

In the international context, most of the time it can be explained as: you did something wrong and everyone benefited. In this case, it is the easiest to receive praise, and there will be a name before and after death.

Otherwise, it's good if the enemy doesn't touch you in the dark, and you still have to expect others to give you a good review?

Respect for the opponent, that is to respect the opponent who is dead, or the opponent who has fallen, the opponent who is still in office, does not want to defeat him, but also makes a name for the opponent, what kind of spirit is this?

After pacifying the French, all eyes were fixed on the representatives of Switzerland, Belgium, and the German Confederation, waiting for their answers.

Swiss Minister Podolski was the first to give the answer: "Although we would love to buy the Rhineland, we had to give it up due to financial constraints. ”

Looking at Podolsky, who had a distressed expression, everyone almost believed it. The Swiss federal government is indeed poor, limited by productivity and resources, and Switzerland has not yet developed in this year.

However, due to financial constraints to abandon the Rhineland, everyone is more willing to believe that the Swiss are afraid of the French and do not dare to attack this enclave.

In this respect, Switzerland is completely different from Belgium and the German Confederation, which are directly bordered by the mainland and can increase its national power.

In the case of the Kingdom of Belgium, for example, if the Rhineland region is acquired, it will not be long before the overall national strength will be doubled. As one of the first countries on the European continent to industrialise, Belgium is a world leader in many areas.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that the mainland is too small and the development potential is insufficient, Belgium has not been able to touch the threshold of the great powers, and can only exist as a small country.

Having taken the Rhineland, they can complete the transition to a medium state, and then their viability will increase significantly.

If it falls into the hands of the German Confederation, the increase in strength will be even more obvious. Among other things, it is inevitable that heavy industry will overtake Spain.

There were only two buyers left, and Prussian Foreign Minister Jeffrey Friedman was not upset, which was to be expected.

Either France and Austria will go out of the auction together, or the two countries will be out of the competition together under each other's control. Austria didn't want to get into this trouble at this time, so it chose to pull the French out of the game together.

The auction can't be held right away, and no one has completed insider trading, so how can there be results so quickly. It's not about having money, it's about political implications.

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