It was not only Wilhelm I who had a bad time, but it was George I, the Emperor of the Federal Republic of Germany, who was really having a bad time.

Because he was supported by the British, he also had the identity of the Duke of Cumberland in the United Kingdom, and was nicknamed by the people: Cumberland I.

From the very beginning, George I's throne was unstable, and there were a bunch of princes and princes below, who didn't like him at all. Even with the support of the British, he couldn't do anything about these princes.

An elected emperor whose power was as great as that of the Holy Roman Emperor of the Middle Ages. Aside from his nominal co-host, his right to preside over the Federal Council was probably left.

That's it, it's enough for him to be able to manage Hanover anyway. George I did not expect the states below to do what he was told to do.

As a buffer between the great powers, as long as the situation in Europe is not broken, the Federal Reich of Germany is safe.

The biggest headache for him was that the prestige of the monarch was too low, and many people regarded the Federal Empire of Germany as a "comedy empire" and regarded the empire imposed on them by various countries as a disgrace.

All these years have passed, and George I has made a lot of efforts, but nothing has changed.

The people don't even agree with this empire, and naturally they won't agree with him as an emperor.

The states within the empire feared that George I would follow Franz's example and use the pressure of public opinion to regain power in their hands, and everyone tacitly suppressed his popularity.

George I was very wronged, he didn't do anything, and he was scolded by the people, and Hanover's rule was not so stable.

If he knew that being this emperor would have such serious sequelae, he would rather not have this crown.

It's too late now, it's already a laughing stock, and if you abdicate again, the family's reputation will be all in it.

In order to save his reputation, George I has also been working hard in recent years, and Hannover has been governed very well.

Unfortunately, there is no way to compare. The New Holy Roman Empire has also been in the limelight over the years, and every once in a while he comes out to brush his sense of existence, and his achievements have been ignored when compared to the two.

In the final analysis, Hannover is only a small country, and no matter how well it governs, it is only an economic achievement, and politically it cannot satisfy the people's desire for a great power.

Even if the Federal Empire of Germany is integrated, it is only a medium-sized country with a population of more than 10 million, and the dream of a great power is really a dream.

Of course, George I's goals were not so high, and he was satisfied to be able to consolidate a bunch of small states in the country and turn the Federal Empire of Germany into a middle power, like the Kingdom of Prussia next door.

It is not easy to do this, because Europe is a legalistic society. Both the aristocracy and the capitalists rely on the law to protect their own interests, and if they break the rules, they will be rejected by all.

This was the way for George I to settle the domestic state by force, and even if the Kingdom of Hanover had this strength, he would not dare to act by force.

He did not really want to participate in the invitation of the Vienna government to colonize the South Seas. George I had a backstage, and as a pawn of the British Empire on the European continent, there was no need to follow Austria in opening up colonies.

The power of the British is not unlimited, so they have become picky eaters. Where the economic value is low and there is little strategic value, John Bull has long been dismissive.

These areas can be divided among the younger brothers, and you can refer to the Netherlands and Portugal for details, and they share some of the territory that John Bull is not interested in.

Unfortunately, the Federal German Empire was not in the hands of George I, and many states and free cities in the country were interested in opening up overseas colonies in the South Seas.

"Paul, do you think we need to go to the troubled waters of the South Seas again?"

As George I's chief staff, Paul pondered for a moment and then replied, "Your Majesty, it depends on what you want."

The Vienna government used a trick, and by now, the fertile land of the world has basically been carved up, and there are too few ownerless high-fat lands like the South Seas.

The Austrians, of course, wanted to co-opt domestic interest groups in preparation for the reunification of the German region, and this was also an opportunity for us.

Although there are many states in the country, their strength is very limited, and everyone can only huddle together to open up overseas colonies.

The development of colonies is inseparable from the navy, and everyone joins forces to form a navy, and as the central government, we are likely to occupy the dominant power. ”

George I was tempted, and if he could control the navy, the central government would no longer be in name only, and he, the emperor, would be freed from the embarrassment of rubber stamps.

If he can reap huge rewards for his overseas colonization activities, his prestige as an emperor will surely increase significantly.

Regardless of whether he can integrate the empire in the end, he doesn't have to be scolded every day. Obviously divided the German region, why should he bear the black pot alone?

If the states were determined to merge with Austria, even Britain and France would not be able to stop it.

George I said with some hesitation: "I'm afraid this is not easy, even if you succeed in opening up the colony, the distribution of benefits will be a trouble." ”

Paul confidently said, "Your Majesty, there is only chance when there is trouble." When there is a conflict between the states, they will not join forces to fight against you.

Only when the alliance of states is divided and disintegrated will it be possible to truly control the empire. ”

The word "empire" always felt harsh in George I's head, but as an emperor, he still longed to be in power.

As for the Austrian threat, the two tacitly did not mention it from beginning to end. Unlike Wilhelm I, George I never expected to be able to fight Austria by force.

The Federal Empire of Germany was originally a country in need, and its own strength was limited, and the best way to survive was to act as a buffer between the great powers. As long as the continent is not a monopoly, they are safe.

Under this concept, the armament of the Kingdom of Hanover was hardly developed, and its economy came to the forefront of Europe, which became a stark inverse contrast to the Kingdom of Prussia.

……

Vienna Palace

Foreign Secretary Wessenberg said: "Your Majesty, both Prussia and the German Confederation have accepted our invitation to begin the next step. ”

Hearing the news, Franz directly took out a map of the South Seas region, which was cleaned and marked with the spheres of influence of various countries.

"What do you think is the right place for them?"

Since it is a bait, it naturally cannot be without oil and water. Otherwise, the ambition that people have finally mustered up will be directly gone.

As long as the first colony is earned, there is no need for Franz to continue to interfere later, and under the interests of Egypt, they will go further and further on the road of colonization.

Foreign Secretary Wiesenberg proposed: "Your Majesty, it would be a good choice to let the German Confederation colonize Malaysia, and let the Kingdom of Prussia colonize Sumatra or Indochina." ”

Undoubtedly, this arrangement also has deep implications. Don't look at these areas as terra nullius, in fact, the British have set their sights on Malaysia, but they haven't had the time to eat it yet.

If Austria occupies Malaysia, it will threaten the security of Singapore, and John Bull will certainly not agree to it for the sake of the Strait of Malacca, and it will be different if it is replaced by the Federal Empire of Germany.

The small country is not a threat, and at the same time it is the little brother of the British. There is a good chance that John Bull will let it go, after all, they have too many colonies to take care of.

Even if Britain intervened, Austria would have nothing to lose. Instead, the conflict could be used to drive a wedge between the British and the German Federal Empire.

Asking Prussians to choose either Sumatra or Indochina also had a political purpose.

The former Dutch have been eyeing each other, and as early as more than ten years ago, Britain and the Netherlands made an agreement that Sumatra would belong to the Dutch, which was regarded as compensation for their abandonment of the Strait of Malacca.

Once the Prussians robbed Sumatra, Prussian-Dutch relations would definitely be finished. The Dutch have already waged several wars for Sumatra and also occupy part of the territory of the island.

Indochina seems to be ownerless, and in fact the French are already eyeing it, but the Paris government is now too busy annexing the Kingdom of Sardinia to take action.

Once the Prussians entered Indochina, it planted another nail in the coffin for a future Franco-Prussian conflict. Unless the Prussians open their mouths, they can occupy Indochina before the French move.

Franz nodded with satisfaction, and then asked, "The bait is good, but they can also see these problems, how can they be fooled?" ”

Foreign Secretary Wessenberg explained: "Your Majesty, this is a conspiracy. There are British and French tentacles all over the world, so you can't let everyone give up because they might be interested, right?

Now that Britain and France are very busy, it is a good opportunity to get started. Just keep it confidential, and wait until they find out what has happened.

The interests are moving, and we can arrange for people to advocate it and let them know that this is a risk that must be taken by overseas colonization. ”

Franz nodded in agreement.

There were frequent conflicts between the overseas colonies of various countries, such as the Anglo-Portuguese conflict in South Africa, the Anglo-French-Dutch South Sea conflict, the Anglo-French-Australian conflict, and the Anglo-French-Austro-West African conflict......

There are a lot of ready-made examples, and in these conflicts, it is not necessarily the great powers that win in the end, at least the Dutch dominate the South Seas.

Moreover, these conflicts are not immediate. The French were still making a last-ditch effort to annex the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the British were plotting to divide the United States.

When they are done, they will have the energy to think about the Nanyang region. Such a long time was enough for Prussia and the German Confederation to act.

After eating the first piece of meat, the capitalists and aristocrats who have benefited will push the two countries on the road of colonial empire.

However, they will soon find that the world has been almost divided, and all that is left is some scraps.

It's just that these scraps are cold, and they don't have the strength to take them. Stimulated by interests, the dream of a great power will once again become the mainstream of society.