The abrupt suspension of the war in the Near East instantly woke up many in the Austrian government. There is nothing surprising that the Great Powers are not fools and will not let the united German Reich come out and grab food from them.

This was not expected by Franz, and unlike the historical existence of empires, Austria now looks much stronger.

When it shocked European countries, it was naturally feared by everyone. At this time, diplomatic means are very important, and blind brute force is not the work of wise men.

Berlin

Metternich proposed to the Prussian government to divide up the German regions, and there was no doubt that the Prussians were not stupid, and it was difficult for the two sides to negotiate.

It was easy for Austria to annex South Germany, but it was very difficult for Prussia to annex North Germany, which was a matter of soft power.

The doctrine of Prussia, which was only strong in military power, was culturally despised by most of the German states.

This is also the reason why the Kingdom of Prussia is easy to recruit black, they have no right to speak in the cultural circles, and they are not culturally recognized by everyone.

Of course, they can also learn from the history of using force to force everyone to agree. But the current government of Frederick-William IV was instigated and did not dare to take such a step.

The countries joined forces to halt the reunification of Germany, and Austria encountered an unprecedented diplomatic dilemma. If Prussia had jumped out at this time, the pressure on Austria would have been relieved, and they themselves would have been forced to suffer.

The North German region is different from the southern German region, and most of the southern German countries are the younger brothers of Austria and have been under Austrian influence for a long time, which is why Franz advocated the use of political means for unification.

There were also British people in North Germany, and Prussia wanted to annex these regions, and Hanover was a hurdle that could not be crossed.

After the Danish incident, the Berlin government knew that the foreign powers were not easy to mess with, and even if the British would not come directly to the city like the Russians, it would be terrible for the navy to come out and block the door.

Metternich said calmly: "Your Majesty, the North German region is the most prosperous region in Germany, although the territory is slightly smaller, but their economic strength is not weak at all. ”

The economy of the North German region was indeed not weak, and the total size of the Kingdom of Prussia was more than half, which was the dream of Frederick Wilhelm IV.

Frederick Wilhelm IV shook his head and said: "Your Excellency, although the economy of North Germany is good, it is still not as good as that of South Germany, both in terms of population base and territorial area.

Given the complex situation in North Germany, it was very unfair for the Kingdom of Prussia to annex these states, and Prussia needed to receive Saxony as compensation. ”

Obviously, the Prussian government in this period had recognized the importance of population.

Metternich replied coldly: "Your Majesty, strength determines power. Once this threshold is crossed, it means disaster! ”

Fairness, how is that possible? Austria paid such a big price, and finally let the Kingdom of Prussia get the same benefits, is it really stupid for the Vienna government?

……

The Prussian government did not dare to provoke the British, but hoped for compensation in the Central German region, which was clearly not acceptable to Austria. The last negotiations between Austria and Prussia naturally ended in an unhappy end.

Metternich's goal had been achieved, and the Prussians were tempted to divide a piece of meat in the midst of the division of Germany, which meant that they could no longer cooperate closely with Britain and France.

What good would the Prussians do for the Prussians if, as proposed by Britain and France, the German region was divided into three, and the states except Prussia and Austria were united into one state?

Prussia can't just abandon its martial arts in order to restrain Austria, right? Once the state was established, the loss of the Kingdom of Prussia was great.

Without South Germany, Austria would still be a continental power; Without North Germany, the Kingdom of Prussia would not have been able to maintain its current status as a quasi-great power.

The complete industrial system was gone, and the German Customs Union, which was the lifeblood of Prussia's economy, ceased to exist.

The Kingdom of Prussia, with a population of 13 to 4 million, could not sustain an independent economy, even in the 19th century.

Once annexed, the population of the Kingdom of Prussia would exceed 20 million, a figure that would already surpass that of England, and the economy would grow by 60 or 70 percent.

The decoy was lowered, and Metternich was not afraid that the Prussians would not be moved. In the end, whether the Prussians ate the meat or got into trouble is none of his business.

……

Paris in 1853 still retains a part of the medieval style, and the corners of the classical city are surging with new forces, and a large number of corner emigrants have flowed to Paris with the dream of making a living.

The skyrocketing population brings not only economic growth, but also mountains of garbage and excrement, and streets that are congested at any time.

A wide ditch bisects the road and also blocks the road on both sides of the road. All it takes is a light rain and the road will be built with a rickety bridge.

The slaughterhouse is located in the center of the city, and the blood flows like a stream onto the road, condenses on the soles of the shoes, and then the leather shoes are dyed crimson.

This is Metternich's Paris, accustomed to the cleanliness of Vienna, and when he sees the dirty and messy Paris, he really can't like it.

The most unacceptable thing is the infanticide that occurs from time to time in the stinky ditch, the cruel society forces the people to degenerate morally, and the people at the bottom have to artificially control the birth rate in order to survive...... The big peasant family full of children and grandchildren has disappeared here.

It's a bustling cosmopolitan city, it's a landmark city in Europe, it's a sea of sin, it's Paris in the 19th century.

Versailles

Metternich and Napoleon III had a secret meeting, and interests were always the best catalyst for national relations, and the Revolution was preceded by the honeymoon period of Franco-Austrian relations.

This situation took a turn for the worse after the Revolution, with a warming of Franco-Austrian relations after the succession of Napoleon III and a drop to freezing again with the outbreak of the Near East War.

Now the two can talk and laugh together, or because of interests, there is a common topic between France and Austria, both mainland countries.

There is nothing that interests cannot be solved, and if interests cannot be solved, it must be that the interests are not big enough.

Napoleon III was not a saint without desires, so he had very high expectations for the arrival of Metternich, which meant benefits.

Metternich got straight to the point and said: "Your Majesty, on the European continent, France and Austria can cooperate with each other and take what they need.

'Confrontation between the two countries,' which is required by the British's policy of continental balance, is not in the interests of our two countries.

The purpose of my visit to Paris is to have in-depth communication with your country and resolve the current dispute between the two countries. ”

"What do you need from us, and what do we get?" Napoleon III asked crisply

In fact, the higher the level of negotiation, the simpler it tends to be. Everyone is very busy, and there is not so much time to argue.

Usually high-level meetings are very short, and if you want to achieve results in a limited time, it is easier to reach a consensus by directly discussing interests.

Metternich directly stated the conditions: "Your Majesty, Austria wants your country's recognition of the new Holy Roman Empire, and in return Austria will support your country's expansion in the Kingdom of Sardinia and Central Europe. ”

Napoleon III thought for a moment and said: "It seems that the unification of the German regions is just a front, and your real purpose is only to annex the southern German regions, and now your goal has been achieved, right?" ”

Metternich replied solemnly: "Yes, Your Majesty! It was too difficult to unify the German region, no one wanted us to succeed, and Austria had no plans to challenge the world. ”

Napoleon III fell into deep thought, the call for the unification of the German regions was very high, and Austria in the southern German regions had already eaten, and it was obvious that it would not spit out easily.

From the standpoint of France, he naturally did not want Austria to continue to grow, but now it was very difficult to intervene.

Don't look at the temporary truce of the war in the Near East, Napoleon III knew very well that the contradictions between Britain, France and Russia have not eased, and as long as the Russians do not stop, they will not budge.

Diplomatic pressure to back down Austria? Napoleon III could have said with certainty, stop dreaming. In this era, everyone looks at strength, Austria has shown its muscles, and if it does not overwhelm their strength, don't expect them to compromise.

He had to admit that Austria had chosen a good opportunity and took advantage of the fierce war between Britain, France, and Russia to take the South German region in one fell swoop, creating an established fact.

Napoleon III prudently said: "Your country will cede the land west of the Rhine to France, and at the same time your country must withdraw from Italy."

The new Holy Roman Empire's sphere of influence was limited to the current Confederate states and was not allowed to continue to expand into the German region.

In the war in the Near East, your country must not continue to support the Russians. If your country can do this, we can recognize the legitimacy of the new Holy Roman Empire. ”

How is it possible to agree to the demands of Napoleon III? At such a great price, a South Germany was harvested, and Austria was not working in vain.

Metternich shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, your appetite is too great, and this has exceeded the bottom line of Austria.

Except that the new Holy Roman Empire would not continue to expand in Germany, we could not accept any other conditions.

First of all, there is an alliance between Russia and Austria, and it is impossible for us to turn our backs on our allies, so there is no need to talk about this issue.

Secondly, it is not possible to withdraw from the Italian region, and the most we can do is promise not to continue the expansion in the Italian region.

The German lands west of the Rhine can be discussed, but not now, and we have to consider the feelings of the people.

In fact, we do not have much territory west of the Rhine, and it is not very valuable, and it may be better for your country to make up for it somewhere else. ”

After getting Metternich to admit the existence of an alliance between Russia and Austria, Napoleon III's heart sank to the bottom, which meant that intervention was no longer possible.

Don't look at all the countries in Europe coming to join in the fun, in fact, most of the countries are just to brush up their presence in the international community, if they really let them send troops, one or two will retreat.

As long as the Russians supported Austria, then the intervention coalition could not be organized. Unless the war in the Near East was stopped immediately, Britain and France withdrew their troops from the front before they had the strength to intervene in Austria.

Whether the British were willing to do it or not, Napoleon III did not know, anyway, he himself would never have done it. At such a big cost, the battle was fought to this point, and without a big victory, he couldn't end it at all.

It was at stake in his own political life, and it was not worth it for Napoleon III to gamble on his throne in order to intervene in Austria.

Since there was a deal between Russia and Austria, and Metternich secretly appeared in Paris, what about London? If the Austrians convinced the British, it didn't matter whether the French recognized it or not.

Thinking of this, Napoleon III reluctantly found that at this time he did not have much choice, unless France did not expand in the future, otherwise it was the best choice to exchange interests now.

France's mineral resources are insufficient, and the mineral resources of the German Rhine region have always been coveted by France, especially the rich local coal resources.

Most of these regions are currently under the control of the Kingdom of Prussia, which was one of the triggers for the Franco-Prussian War, which was provoked by Napoleon III after the Prussians did not fulfill their prior promises.

……

Maximizing profit is the essence of any politician, and Napoleon III was no exception, and now he needs to reap the benefits of Austria to consolidate his precarious fortune.

After some bargaining, on August 6, 1853, Metternich and Napoleon III signed the Franco-Austrian Outline of the Italian Question, the Franco-Austrian Treaty on the Division of Spheres of Influence in Central Europe, and the Franco-Austrian Secret Treaty of Mutual Assistance at Versailles.

The first two treaties only stipulated that the two countries were outside the sphere of influence, and many areas that might be disputed were stipulated in the treaties.

The ensuing secret treaty was at the heart of the negotiations, as agreed that France would support the creation of a new Holy Roman Empire, and Austria would support the French in gaining the area west of the Rhine and parts of Italy. (including Belgium, Luxembourg, Rhineland, Sardinia, Sicily)

Franz was always generous when he was generous to others, and if the French dared to ask for it, even if they included the Netherlands and North Germany, Metternich would not refuse.

In any case, the support of this commitment is only in words, and there is no need to pay actual benefits.

Didn't Napoleon III know? Obviously, it was impossible, but he was confident in the strength of France and thought that he would have no problem taking these regions.

As long as the Austrians were able to fulfill their promises, to support them verbally, and not to interfere with other countries, they would have a great deal of success.

There is always an ideal, what if it is realized?

An agreement was made in advance, and in case of future action, an opponent was also excluded in advance.

Of course, Napoleon III was not stupid enough to really believe in the promises of the Austrian government, and there were so many goals that even if they wanted to take action, it would not be possible to achieve them in one leap.

The road has to be taken step by step, the meat has to be eaten bite by bite, and as long as they are not greedy for merit, these goals are still very likely to be achieved by the French.

In short, everything depends on strength. As long as France is strong enough, these small goals can be achieved. On the other hand, if the strength is insufficient, even if the Austrians fulfill their promises, they will not have the appetite to eat.