Paris

On August 28, 1853, the much-anticipated negotiations began, and delegates from all over the world, including many of Germany's smaller states and free cities, were also represented.

Hundreds of people poured into the conference room in an instant, and it was similar to a vegetable market, noisy and noisy, and no agreement was reached after a few days of hard work.

On September 2, Russian Foreign Minister Karl Vorcell proposed to the General Assembly: "Ladies and gentlemen, if this quarrel continues, it is estimated that there will be no way to reach an agreement by this time next year, so it is better to reduce the size of the meeting." ”

Obviously, this is the PR fee in play, Carl Wassel is still very creditable, adhering to the principle of collecting money to do things, this proposal is 500,000 rubles in exchange.

When the negotiations were deadlocked, Metternich was anxious in his eyes and in his heart, if it dragged on like this, sooner or later there would be problems, which was very unfavorable to Austria.

At this time, it was obviously not appropriate for Austria to come ahead and exclude the delegates from all countries, and the only ones who were qualified to make this proposal were the representatives of Britain, France, and Russia.

Needless to say, the British would love to see the excitement of Austria; The French are also not easy to buy, and under the nose of Napoleon III, it is difficult to make small moves.

Carl Wossel was left to be bribed, and anyway, there was the Russian-Austrian alliance, and the tsarist government had already decided to support Austria at the conference.

The extent of this support is up to Carl Wassel to decide. In order to avoid long nights and dreams, Metternich naturally threw money on public relations.

Metternich said coldly: "Mr. Karl-Wasel's proposal is good, everyone's time is precious. Unrelated people, there is no need to participate in the following negotiations. ”

He didn't have any good feelings about these noisy wall-to-wall grass, and now he was completely causing trouble in Austria.

"Okay, just let the parties to the meeting come to the meeting."

After thinking about it, Foreign Secretary Auvergne also expressed his support, and it would not be beneficial for France to drag on like this.

Three to one, British Foreign Secretary Thomas can only nod in agreement, his time is also precious, if it is spent here every day, what will happen at home?

Under the joint will of the great powers, the number of countries participating in the conference was reduced to 15, including Prussia, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the soon-to-be-merged South German Confederation, in addition to Britain, France, Russia, and Austria.

This was only the beginning, and under Metternich's manipulation, the 5 September conference was again reduced in size, and the German states lost the right to participate in the meeting, so they could just wait at home for the result.

On September 10, as these small countries were kicked out one after another, only Britain, France, Russia and Osip were left at this time, which was quite a bit like the Paris Peace Conference.

The world still speaks by strength, a multinational negotiation, and finally turned into a closed-door meeting of Britain, France, and Russia Osip.

The Spanish delegates only came to make soy sauce, but as a member of the European powers, they still got the right to participate in the meeting, and they did not have the right to speak.

It was the five countries of Britain, France, Russia, Austria and Prussia that really decided the final result, and the meeting could finally begin to proceed normally.

……

In Germany, with the passage of time, the idea of the partition of North and South Germany began to rise, and many experts and scholars published articles in newspapers expounding the feasibility of "partition of North and South Germany".

Even the most optimistic people do not now think that there is a possibility of reunification in the German regions, and have not looked at the flag of the Kingdom of Prussia to express their opposition?

Two other state governments in North Germany responded to the Prussian proposal, arguing that Austria had undermined peace and stability in the German region and wanted to kick them out of the German region.

These two stupid governments of the German Confederation soon paid a terrible price for this, and were sprayed with blood by the people at home.

If it had not been for the intervention of the Prussians, they would have turned into a republic. With this lesson in mind, the rest of the German confederation became cautious.

Nationalism in Germany is still largely rhetorical, but it still has the power to subvert one or two small states.

If you don't say anything else, people just rely on their mouths to spray, and they can't get off the stage if they can spray.

In addition to the two large states of Austria and Prussia, the remaining 37 states and a bunch of free cities occupy more than 200,000 square kilometers of territory.

Excluding Bavaria, Hanover, Württemberg, Saxony, Hesse, and Baden, the remaining 30 or so states and free cities are confined to 40,000 square kilometers of territory.

Excluding the two principalities occupied by Denmark, on average each state and free city has an area of less than 1,000 square kilometers and an average population of less than 150,000.

The government's deterrent power is naturally insufficient, and a village-level rebellion can overthrow a regime, and the government naturally does not dare to go against the will of the people.

As soon as the news of the "partition of North and South Germany" came out, public opinion exploded, with some supporting and some opposing, and the entire German region was lively.

Inside the University of Munich

One young student excitedly said, "Impossible, Bayer." Now do we have a better alternative to the partition of North and South Germany?

Outside there was the intervention of the European countries, and inside there was the traitor of the Kingdom of Prussia. Against this backdrop, you want to forcibly unify the German regions, and do you know the consequences of doing so?

You are simply crazy, as soon as the war breaks out, thousands of German people will be displaced, and the great German nation will sink like the Poles. ”

In this world, there is never a shortage of idealists, and Bayer is one of them.

Bayer replied, "Stein, don't shout. The Intervention Alliance looked strong, but in fact the only countries that really had the ability to intervene in the reunification of the German regions were Britain, France and Russia.

Now that the three countries are full of contradictions, the possibility of forming a coalition is almost zero, and if they fight separately, we may not be without the strength to fight. ”

One of the people next to him sneered: "Yes, we do have the strength to fight, and after the first war the German nation will become history, or learn from the Prussian barbarians to be traitors and bow down to the enemy." ”

……

Not everyone liked war, and even German nationalists, most still wanted peaceful reunification.

In the face of the joint intervention of various countries, many people were sensible, knowing that the German Confederation was powerless to resist the common will of the European countries, and compromise became the only option.

The theory of the partition of North and South Germany was not so much the Austrian government behind the scenes, but rather the need of these intellectuals.

In the case that the great reunification cannot be realized, this is the second option that everyone is forced to choose.

Fortunately in South Germany, after the partition of the north and south, they merged with Austria, and they were also one of the most powerful countries in the world, which was acceptable to most of the people.

The North German region is not good, it does not like traitors, and the merger with the Kingdom of Prussia will not be able to pass the hurdle in many people's hearts.

Secondly, the North German region as a whole has only stepped into the ranks of the great powers, and there is still a certain distance from the real power, which is not what they want.

Against this background, a new idea spread in the Kingdom of Hanover, which instantly spread throughout North Germany and into South Germany.

"Kick out the two Austro-Prussian countries, and the remaining German states will form a new state."

This was a very popular argument in North Germany, and people who did not want to unite with the Kingdom of Prussia were willing to join the new state.

Although this country was only a medium-sized country when it was established, with a land area of more than 200,000 square kilometers and a population of 17,800 million, it is still far from the dream of a great power in everyone's minds.

There is no doubt that there must have been the work of the British Empire. Once the tripartite of the German region was established, Austria, Prussia, or the new country lost the ability to unify the German region.

With such a balanced system, the European continent will become more stable. On the premise that it was in the interests of the British, it also relieved the French of worries, and even the Russians were very tempted by this system.

This idea has been around for a long time, and the Bavarian government is a three-legged supporter, but unfortunately this idea lacks supporters in the German region, and even the Bavarians oppose it.

The situation had changed, and the North German Confederation, which had decided that Germany could not be reunified and did not want to merge with the Kingdom of Prussia, became adherents of this idea.

Franz, who was far away in St. Petersburg, didn't know that John Bull had already struck, and it was a fatal blow.

With a theory based on the people, it is not just a theoretical idea, but may also become a reality.

People in South Germany may not necessarily support this argument, but the state governments are different. With the Austrians, their right to speak is destined to be limited.

The right to speak means interests, a group of small states are merged together, no one can dominate, then it must be federal!

In a federal state, the rights of the central government are destined not to be too large, and everyone's interests can be protected to the greatest extent.

Stimulated by their interests, the governments of these small states involuntarily propagated this theory at home, and undercurrents surged in the German region.

Baden

Prince Friedrich was hesitant to join the federal empire organized by the British, who, according to the British, would have the greatest benefit.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what do you think of the British's proposal?"

After a moment of silence, Prime Minister Waltz replied, "Your Highness, if the plans of the British go well, it will naturally be more in our interest for us to join the Federal Empire.

The Kingdom of Bavaria was still under Austrian control, and it is unlikely that they would spit it out.

A new federal empire is established, and no one can dominate it. Together with Hanover, Württemberg, Saxony and Hesse, we will dominate the country.

It's just that although the benefits are huge, the potential risks are not small.

The nascent federal empire was too weak, and we were very weak compared to Austria and France, and our development potential was probably not as good as that of Prussia.

In case the European balance is upset, we are in big trouble. Unless the British can force Austria to abandon the new Holy Roman Empire on their own initiative, we will become traitors and will surely be liquidated in the future. ”

Not to mention the future, it is possible to be liquidated now, Austria can pinch the Duchy of Baden to death even if it stretches out a hand, and this is the reason for their hesitation.

Foreign Minister Nikolaus thought for a moment and said: "The question of Austrian retaliation is easy to deal with, and it is a great deal that we can elect an emperor of the Habsburgs to come out, and it will be enough to appease their anger."

The question now was whether the British would be able to subdue Austria and Prussia, and if they could not, the nascent federal empire would always exist only in theory. ”

Prince Friedrich nodded, he wanted the benefits, but he didn't want to carry the risks. In the unlikely event that the British's plan failed, the chances of an enraged Austrian government abolishing the Baden royal family were as high as nine-tiered nine.

Unlike other kings, Ludwig II was a psychopath, and his popularity among the people was infinitely close to zero, and most of the Baden people had no affection for the Grand Duke.

"In that case, we will reply directly to the British, and we agree to their plan, but we will not say anything until a final decision is made in Paris.

It is necessary to pay attention to the propaganda of the people, so as not to let people grasp the handle, these ideas are freely disseminated by the people, and they must not have anything to do with the government. Prince Friedrich said

There is no way, the way to survive in a small country is "grass on the wall". The British they can't afford to offend, and Austria can't afford to provoke either, and if they want to reap the benefits between the two great powers, they are dancing on eggs.

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