As soon as the war broke out, Franz's nerves tightened, and not only in the top echelons of his entire Austrian government did not dare to relax.

Despite the fact that the front line was advancing very quickly and more smoothly than planned, the Austrian government was still mobilizing the whole country.

Perhaps in the eyes of many people, this is a bit of a fuss, fighting a Bavarian kingdom with 400,000 troops, and mobilizing a million reserve troops in the country.

As a party, Franz can be very clear that this is not a trivial matter, but a strategic necessity.

The lion and the elephant fight the rabbit, all with all their strength.

It is the current state of Austria, if it is only against one Bavaria, maybe 350,000 troops can complete the task.

Anyway, Munich is close at hand, and it is enough to launch a sneak attack of thirty or fifty thousand troops. There is no need to make such a big fuss and engage in such a big battle.

This is only military, but politically it determines this war and cannot be treated with common sense.

For example, many local governments and armies in Bavaria have declared neutrality, which is the result of a combination of the might of the 400,000 army and the political offensive.

If there were only 350,000 troops, would the local powerhouses in Bavaria easily compromise? Without the cooperation of these people, and absolute superiority in strength, Austria was able to neutralize the defenders of Bavaria?

The real situation is not that Franz is destined to return, nor how popular the Habsburgs are, but that strength brings the hearts of the people.

The Bavarian people saw the strength of Austria, the local ruling class was intimidated, and at this time the lobbyists went into battle, and they naturally made the choice that best served their interests.

Whether it is a capitalist or an aristocrat, they will not do the thing of blocking the car with their mantis arms, and clinging to the strong is their way of survival.

"Neutrality" happens to be a fig leaf, and public opinion is the best weapon to cover up their anti-vindictive nature.

The Austrian government also needed their help in creating a desirable atmosphere in order to win the hearts and minds of the people of the Kingdom of Bavaria and endorse the war.

The results were very good, and everyone tacitly guided public opinion to position the war initiated by Austria under the pretext of German reunification.

They also put on the hat of a patriot on the grounds that "they cannot betray the monarch they are loyal to, and they cannot undermine the unity of the country", and then gloriously declared neutrality.

There are so many lies that they themselves have to believe it, because now Austria is really popular and expected.

The people at the bottom did not think so much, and after boasting a few times, they thought that the war of unification launched by Austria was just. Those who consider themselves patriotic must not hinder the reunification of the country at this time.

It can be said that Franz made up the biggest routine in history, and all the parties involved were tricked into it, and they can't get out yet.

The people around you talk about "German reunification", and you can't help but follow along in order to be gregarious, but you don't know that the people around you are the same as you, and the degree of recognition of this concept is not as high as you say.

It was the nationalists who really supported German reunification, and these people were the real supporters. Ordinary people are just influenced by the general environment, they are preconceived by the rhythm, and subconsciously think that they are also supporters of German reunification.

Now the brainwashing work is going very well, and at least a million Bavarians have been tricked into it, and it is the local Bavarian celebrities who have completed this plan.

They themselves are in the game, and once they get in, they can't get out. It can be said that this war made the concept of German unity deeply rooted in the hearts of the people of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

Franz himself knew about this kind of thing, and he wouldn't say it. Everyone in the outside world just saw that the Bavarian people supported Austria to overthrow the Bavarian government in order to support German unity.

Maximilian II, including in Munich, considered himself abandoned by the populace, otherwise it would not be possible to explain that the Austrian army appeared outside the city without encountering any resistance.

Vienna

Prime Minister Felix said optimistically: "Your Majesty, the first step of the strategy is stable, under the banner of German reunification, the Bavarian people have no intention of resisting at all, it seems that our plan is still too conservative."

The popular base in Germany is much better than we expected, and perhaps we can take a bigger step and ...... altogether."

Franz shook his head, the people in Bavaria are Austrian for many years, and with the combination of the right time, place and people, there is no way to compare with other parts of Germany.

If you keep playing, you're going to have to goof. Now it is better to take it as soon as it is good, so that everyone thinks that the people of the German region are in favor of reunification, and induce them to make wrong judgments.

"Prime Minister, greed is the original sin of this world, and the more critical it is, the more we must control our desires. Austria needs stability, not risk! ”

Prime Minister Felix, who was awakened, broke out in a cold sweat, and sure enough, success is easy to make people lose and become arrogant.

Foreign Minister Metternich said: "Yes, even if the population base in the German region is good, we do not have the ability to unify Germany now.

Austria cannot stand in opposition to all the great powers, and what it needs to do now is to settle down and digest these spoils of war and turn them into national strength. ”

Franz nodded, and then ordered: "Mr. Metternich, you will go to Berlin in person, the Prussian government should be frightened, and now it needs to stabilize them."

Chancellor, you have also had the pleasure of visiting the German States again, this time starting with Saxony, and trying to persuade them by political means. ”

Is it necessary to fight in a war of unification? History can be learned, Franz said, and that the Prussians were able to recover these states politically, as could Austria.

Internally, it is better to use military means if they can be used. If you kill a river of blood, it will be refreshing at that time, and you will be ready to cry when you govern the place in the future!

The governments of these small states can survive forever, and naturally there is a way to survive. Why did the German Second Empire in history leave these states, it was not for the sake of stability.

Historically, the central government of the Second German Empire relied on Huairou means to erode the rights of the governments of various states little by little.

Now it is easier for Austria to do this, after all, the kingdom of Bavaria, the largest state in South Germany, has been defeated, and the few remaining small states are not worth mentioning.

As long as the name of the monarch and the minister is decided, the rest of the things will be easy to do. The central government has both strength and righteousness, and it is too easy to suppress local governments.

It's really not good, isn't there still a saying in history about resealing?

If you are in a hurry, Franz can still be shameless, as long as he grasps the handle, he will change the territory of these so-called kings and grand dukes.

In the nest that they have been operating for decades, or even hundreds of years, there is no way to deal with it, and they are afraid that they will not be honest if they are not familiar with the place?

Franz could even be more shameless in giving a false title, such as taking the title of King of Jerusalem and exchanging the throne with some unlucky bastard.

This sacred throne is extraordinary, but unfortunately the territory is in the sphere of influence of the Ottomans, and it is unknown when it will be restored.

……

In the royal palace of Munich, Maximilian II had to accept the harshest reality, and perhaps he could not even run away.

The Munich city defense actually declared neutrality, and now the only thing loyal to the king, except for the palace guards, was a newly formed infantry division that had just been mobilized to defend Munich.

But is this force reliable? The answer is no, the will of the people cannot be violated, and since the Bavarian people have made their choice, they will inevitably be affected.

The reason why neutrality has not been declared now is that the upper echelons of the army are still loyal to the king, unlike the city defense army, which has been infiltrated by the nobility and capitalists.

On 10 June, the second day of the Austrian siege, the representatives of Austria had entered the royal palace in Munich.

Negotiations on conditions after defeat were a common occurrence on the European continent. This is also not the first time in the history of the Kingdom of Bavaria that this has happened.

It's just that unlike in the past, this time the position of the Bavarian royal family is in jeopardy, and Maximilian II himself does not have much confidence that he will be able to keep the throne.

But Prime Minister August assured him that the Austrians would not depose him from the throne for only one reason.

There were so many states in the German region, and everyone was still watching, and the Vienna government could not go too far.

……

Foreign Minister Buckhouse said angrily: "Mr. Jonas, the conditions of your country are really too much, we have all agreed to join the Holy Roman Empire, and you have made so many excessive demands, this is clearly to annex Bavaria!" ”

Austrian Minister to Bavaria Jonas shook his head and said: "There is always a price to pay for doing wrong, and the current Bavarian government does not have the capital to negotiate conditions."

Believe it or not, Mr. Buckhouse, even if Austria withdraws immediately, the Bavarian government will be finished, and the people outside will want to send you to the gallows.

Now the situation of the Kingdom of Bavaria is no longer suitable for the royal family to continue to rule, and exchanging land with Austria is the best choice.

At that time, the honorable King Maximilian II can become the king of Serbia, and you can also serve as ministers of the Kingdom of Serbia.

This is the limit of what Austria can do, you have lost the basis of your rule, and if you continue to rule the Kingdom of Bavaria, you are destined for revolution in the future.

A unified German central government is not an instrument for your real revolution, and Mr. Buckhouse wants you to understand this. ”

Flickering and flickering, is the Bavarian government really losing the hearts of the people? Franz knew that it was not, and it was judged by the local government's choice of neutrality rather than defection.

But they themselves did not know that the thick stack of neutrality declarations made it as if the Bavarian people were supporters of Austria.

In their opinion, this kind of neutrality is a betrayal, there is no need to defect directly, Austria does not need them to take action, they can save their face, no one will belittle themselves, right?

Foreign Secretary Buckhouse continued: "No, the Balkans are too remote, Serbia is a wild land, this is clearly exile!"

Since the throne is to be replaced, it must be replaced at an equal price. To be fair, Austria has to come up with a rich area. ”

This is not his bottom line, but a wrong perception, which made Maximilian II lower his expectations, and Buckhouse, who was in charge of negotiations, naturally lost his confidence.

In their opinion, the Bavarian royal family has lost the hearts of the people, and no matter who supports him, he will not be able to continue to sit on the throne of Bavaria, and he was ready to abdicate to take responsibility.

Unfortunately, Austria did not agree, and threatened to incite the Bavarian people to start a revolution and send them to the guillotine if the royal family did not cooperate.

This threat Maximilian II was not afraid, as long as Austria was still an imperial state, it would not be possible to guillotine him, the king, and the others were different.

The Austrians will not be afraid of killing the minister, isn't it the best excuse to punish the national thief? For the sake of their own lives, the top of the Bavarian government had to do the ideological work of Maximilian II.

Even the current negotiations are for Maximilian II. I'm afraid that he will suddenly not be able to think about it, and if he hangs himself all of a sudden, Franz will cry.

That means that Austria has worked in vain this time, a king has died, and it dares to annex the Kingdom of Bavaria, and it is estimated that the future will never be peaceful.

In order to win the hearts and minds of the people, it was necessary for Maximilian II to cooperate, and only if he agreed to give up the throne could Franz legally take over the rule of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

Maximilian II had to survive, at least until Austria annexed Bavaria.

He must also live well, and not let the Bavarian people see his downfall and develop sympathy. This was the matter of exchanging land, and the representative of Austria proposed to exchange Serbia for Bavaria.

When this proposal appeared, the negotiations reached an impasse. Buckhouse wanted to fight for the interests of his loyal king, and Jonas was unwilling to make concessions.

……