Berlin

Austria's fanfare was not meant to be kept secret at all, and the Prussian government naturally received the news.

Frederick-William IV was still hesitant to join the Intervention Coalition, and now there is no need to think about it. If you don't want to deal with it, before the coalition is established, the Kingdom of Prussia will become history first.

Foreign Minister Andrea analyzed: "Your Majesty, Austria is intimidating us, and it is not beneficial for them to divide us among Russia, France and Austria, and once we are finished, Austria, which is sandwiched between France and Russia, will be embarrassed."

The benefits they could gain from carving up us could never be greater than the annexation of South Germany, and the price they paid was much greater. ”

This is inevitable, the division of Prussia, France and Russia can mobilize a limited number of troops, the Russians can also send more than 200,000 troops, the French will take out more than 100,000 troops to survive, and the task of fighting the main attack will definitely fall on Austria.

The military strength of the Kingdom of Prussia was not weak, and it was entirely possible to break out an army of five or six hundred thousand at a critical moment of life and death.

If this is put together, even if the three countries can't join forces, but when they die, there is no problem in breaking a few Austrian teeth.

At such a great price, the post-war gains were divided between France and Russia, and without Prussian Poland and the Rhineland, the Kingdom of Prussia was not worth as much as the South Germany region, which Austria had now acquired.

In addition, it was much more difficult to rule, the Junker nobles would not buy Austria, and the local people in South Germany welcomed the king.

Frederick Wilhelm IV said with grief and indignation: "It is true in theory, but the threat still exists, and Austria dares to do so clearly that it is clear that we dare not take risks." ”

Where is this risk, it is clearly suicide. As long as Austria attacked Prussia with all its might, Russia and France would definitely take advantage of the fire.

Will Austria do the same? No one knows the answer. But Frederick Wilhelm IV could be sure that this was the easiest way to break the game for Austria.

Joseph von Ladowitz thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, we can throw this difficult problem to the British, if they can't guarantee our safety, then we won't participate in the Nine Nations Intervention Alliance."

The Austrians also need us to keep the French at bay, and if we are finished, they will have to face the French threat. As long as we quit now, they'll stop. ”

This multiple-choice question is easy to do, the Prussian government joined the intervention army for the sake of profit, and it can also withdraw for the sake of profit.

The Nine-Nation Coalition looks very strong, but in fact, the main forces in it are only France and Prussia, and the rest of the countries are all in number. As long as any of the Franco-Prussian faction is instigated, the plans of the British will be ruined.

Andrea shook her head and said, "Prime Minister, the British may not be able to do this problem, they can convince the French, but there is no way to convince the Russians.

According to the Austrian plan, the war was waged against us before the coalition was organized, and the British were not able to rescue us.

The only ones who have the strength to help us are the French, but for their own sake, I am afraid that the French will sit back and wait for us to lose, and then annex our territory west of the Rhine is more likely.

At this time, we cannot put our hopes in the British. It has long been proven that their promises are unreliable most of the time.

If you can't get enough benefits from the intervening forces, then joining forces with Austria to carve up the German region is also a good option.

The big deal is to join the Russian-Austrian alliance, rebuild the three-court system of Northern Europe, and jointly dominate the European continent, and Britain and France are powerless to stop it. ”

Frederick Wilhelm IV hesitated, and Austria's annexation of South Germany caused everyone to be jealous, but the direct loss of interests to the countries was not large, and the largest loss of interests among the great powers should be Prussia, and the market became smaller.

Prussia's annexation of North Germany was different, slapping the British in the face was only a minor problem, and the biggest trouble was cutting off the financial routes of the British capitalists.

Historically, Prussia annexed North Germany, but after joining the free trade system, the industry of the Kingdom of Prussia had developed considerably, and it was not afraid of competition from the British.

Now it is different, if the Prussian government dares to join the free trade system in this period, the national industry in the country will be stillborn.

There is no way, in this era, the Kingdom of Prussia did not have a competitive pillar industry, and the industry relied on copycat British, or rather, the whole world was copycat British.

One of the reasons why the Prussian government sided with Austria was that it feared that Austria would raise import tariffs on Prussian goods and directly squeeze them out of the market by administrative means after Austria took control of South Germany.

It's not a possibility, it's a sure thing. For the industrializing kingdom of Prussia, the lack of an adequate market meant nothing to be seen.

On the issue of North Germany, the London government could not budge at all, otherwise Prime Minister George would have stepped down early, and if not, he would have to give a ticket to heaven.

This is one of the reasons why the British wanted to divide Germany into three parts, and the interests of the domestic capitalists prompted the action of the London government.

As for saying that the British have many colonies and a large market, that is. Most of the colonial markets were left unexplored during this era, and the main markets were still on the European continent.

Ocean trade is much riskier than trading at home, and what capitalist would hate to make more money?

In contrast, South Germany was different, Bavaria was the textile center of the German region, and the biggest export of the British in this era was textiles, and the London government let the Kingdom of Bavaria and Austria leave, without the intention of excluding competitors.

In the mid-19th century, international politics was not only political and military, but also economically exerted, especially in countries with strong capital, such as Britain.

……

The Austrian counterattack was both expected and unexpected by the British. Originally, the London government thought that Austria would coerce and lure the Prussian government, but it did not expect the Vienna government to directly enlarge the move.

The effect of the ultimate move is naturally very powerful, and the Prussian government has already euphemistically expressed its attitude - dare not play.

The reality tells the British that sometimes it is not possible to look at the national interest completely, and the personal interests of the top of the government can also determine the national politics.

Having determined the position of Napoleon III, the Austrians seized the loophole in the coalition forces and could counterattack with impunity.

"The situation changed, and the Prussian government, intimidated by Austria, was ready to withdraw. If we don't find a way to stop it, I'm afraid it won't be long before the Nordic three-court alliance will reappear in Europe. Prime Minister George Hamilton Gordon said in all seriousness

The Russian-Austrian alliance has not yet been dismantled, and if it becomes the Russian-Austrian-Prussian alliance again, then don't say anything, they will shrink their forces again and return to the British Isles.

Henry, the Minister of the Interior, thought for a moment and said, "Chancellor, I'm afraid the Prussians haven't made up their minds yet, otherwise they should have sent troops to annex North Germany instead of communicating with us."

We can't help Russia and Austria, but there is still a way to deal with the Prussians, the Royal Navy blockade of the North Sea for a month, the domestic economic crisis of the Prussian kingdom will erupt, and they cannot ignore this consequence.

Even if the Prussians and Austria joined forces to divide Germany, it did not mean that North Germany would be theirs. I'm afraid that many states will not give them a chance to do anything, and they will go directly into the arms of Austria.

It was impossible for the Prussian government not to take into account the fact that this expansion did not eliminate the crisis, but only postponed it.

With Russia to the east, France to the west, Austria to the south, and the rest surrounded by the sea, the geographical location of the Kingdom of Prussia was simply terrible.

Austria is very much like them, caught between France and Russia. It's just that Austria can develop in Italy and the Balkans, and the Prussians can only colonize overseas.

This is probably the reason why Frederick William IV did not dare to make up his mind, and without our acquiescence, they could only die at home, watching the nations continue to grow and develop. ”

This was the central reason for the collapse of the three-court alliance of the Nordic courts, which could not bring greater benefits to the Kingdom of Prussia, and industrialization could not do without overseas markets, and they had to deal with the British.

George Hamilton Gordon hesitated for a moment before making the decision: "Tell Thomas that this tentative plan has failed and enable a second scheme." ”

This is the best solution, but it is not the only one. The London government does not think that everyone is stupid, so it naturally prepares an emergency plan.

The reason why the British adopted this unreliable scheme is very simple, the implementation cost is low, and the benefits are large!

If they succeed, they are happy, but if they fail, they have nothing to lose, so why not give it a try?

Are they really failing now?

Apparently not!

The British planted a thorn in the Russian-Austrian alliance and worsened Franco-Austrian relations, while at the same time irritating the French and stirring up Austria's relations with the rest of Europe.

What about the British's efforts? Just by the fact that the Foreign Secretary was more diligent and balanced the Austrian strategy, they had done most of it.

Affected by the deterioration of the diplomatic situation, Austria will have to repair its international relations for a long time to come, after all, the annexation of the South German region has stimulated everyone's sensitive nerves.

……

Paris

The Prussian government withdrew from intervening in the coalition, and the plans of the British naturally changed, and negotiations resumed.

Thomas again proposed: "Ladies and gentlemen, in view of the stability of the European continent, there must be a buffer between the great powers, and I propose that Baden, Hanover, Hamburg, Bremen...... and the German Confederation to form a new state.

Considering the actual situation, the Kingdom of Prussia could exchange land with this new country, leaving enough buffer space between Franco-Prussian and Franco-Austrian. ”

This would be a much more reliable suggestion, at least as Metternich thought, and the British in the other states of South Germany did not make it except for the Duchy of Baden.

In order to maintain a certain buffer with the French, in order to gain everyone's recognition, pay a Duchy of Baden, in Metternich's opinion, this price can also be considered.

While Metternich was pondering, the French representative Auvergne was the first to express his support: "Mr. Thomas's proposal is good, and for the sake of peace and stability on the European continent, it is necessary to leave a buffer between the great powers. ”

The reason is, of course, that it is good for everyone's strategic security, and the French now have neither the domineering spirit to encroach on the world, nor the strength to fight alone.

Since it cannot be swallowed, it is necessary to avoid contradictions with major powers as much as possible. As a member of the vested interests, a stable European continent is in the interests of Britain and France.

My hometown is unstable, even if I open up a colony overseas, my heart is not steady? Don't look at the fact that the British have repeatedly provoked contradictions in European countries, in fact, they want stability in Europe the most.

Of course, this kind of stability must be established when all countries are evenly matched. Obviously, at this time, the countries on the European continent are holding each other down, and no one can dominate alone, so it is necessary to stabilize.

And this new country, dominated by the British, will inevitably move closer to them politically and increase their voice on the European continent.

At the same time, they also preserved their markets in Germany, and the government could reap the gratitude of a wave of capitalists.

……

Karl Wossel was also a little eager to try, but seeing that Metternich did not express his position, considering that Austria's interests were involved, and it was clearly agreed in the Covenant, he could not take the liberty of supporting it.

It is not surprising that the current strategy of the Russians is to go south to Constantinople, and the European continent is temporarily out of reach, and a stable Europe is also what they need.

Metternich thought for a moment and said: "This question, which involves the Duchy of Baden and the Bavarian province of Palatinate, must be carefully considered. ”

Seeing that the Austrians did not object, the Prussian representative Rotruf could not bear it, he knew that if he did not come out now to fight for his interests, they would lose a lot of money.

"No, the Rhineland is the most important industrial region of the Kingdom of Prussia, and we can't give it up like that!"

……