The laissez-faire of the Vienna government undoubtedly fueled the arrogance of the North Germanists, and although the governments of the states did not take a stand, the voice of the people continued to rise.

In order to carry out the plan, Kaiser George I also privately declared that the establishment of the North German Empire was a crucial step in the process of German reunification.

On the surface, it seems that there is nothing wrong with it, and from the three-legged position to the two-strong side, it is indeed one step closer to the unification of Germany.

Just think about it, and the problem is so big. If Depp were to merge into the North German Empire, then the new Holy Roman Empire that Franz had created would become the South German Empire.

In the future, it will be necessary to discuss who will unify whom.

George I wanted to unify South Germany with North Germany?

Well, when this is said, I guess a normal person would not believe it.

If the Pop-Polish Confederation and Germany were to merge at their peak, there might still be a lost chance. The precondition for this missed opportunity was that Austria was under collective siege by the nations of Europe.

At this point, the last lost opportunity is gone. The comprehensive national strength of the Kingdom of Prussia, which was greatly damaged, was not as strong as that of Bavaria, and the Comedy Empire was at most comparable to the strength of several states within the HRE.

The strength is not good, there are a bunch of internal problems, not to mention that the army alone has not been cleared up. The armies of the states are independent, and the central government has no command power.

If this is all right, the most important thing is that most of the states, including Hanover, have joint defense treaties with Austria.

Mainly against the French, but also against the Russians. According to the provisions of the treaty, in the event of an invasion by a foreign enemy, an allied army would be formed with Austria as the core.

This was Metternich's contribution, the international environment at that time was completely different from now, everyone was just worried about the Franco-Russian threat, and Austria at that time was still harmless to humans and animals, so they happily got on board.

Now the treaty has become a double-edged sword, protecting the security of the German Confederation while restraining the German central government from recovering the military power of the states.

The Vienna government can pull everyone together for joint exercises, but the German central government cannot, they don't have this power, and the state government doesn't have Yiwu to cooperate.

In order to unify the military and political problems in the country, George I consulted with the governments of various states many times, but to no avail.

In the absence of an external threat, no one wants to give up power in their hands. The humble joint defense treaty has become one of the legal bases for each state to independently own its armed forces.

After several defeats, George I was already in despair. He was about to give up, but at this time, the British also gave him new hope.

The establishment of the North German Empire was a new round of political reshuffle, and the Kingdom of Prussia, its original biggest rival, was affected by the war and was no longer qualified to compete for the leadership of the empire.

Even because of financial reasons, the Berlin government had to make a series of concessions in exchange for financial assistance from the central government.

Among them was the command of the army, and there was nothing wrong with it, the Berlin government was not ready to ask for troops.

It's not that Wilhelm I didn't want the army, the problem is that he really can't afford it now, and the Berlin government can't even pay out the pension at this time.

Take the army that is not capable of raising it in the first place, in exchange for financial assistance, and you will not suffer a loss.

Unlike Austria, Hanover was limited in size, and if the armies of the two countries were to merge, the Junker aristocracy, with their extensive combat experience, could easily occupy an advantageous position.

This is also William I's appeasement of the military, through the exchange of benefits to ensure that pensions can be paid normally, the loss of part of the power is more acceptable than let everyone go back to farming, it can be said that each takes what he needs.

The concessions were not only military, but also financial, and the Berlin government proposed that as long as Hannover took over the debt, the revenue of the Kingdom of Prussia could be handed over in full and distributed by the central government.

There can be no doubt that this unreasonable demand was righteously rejected by George I. What are you kidding, is he a person who covets the financial revenue of the state, and he must not ask for it!

Unlike the financial and military generosity, when it comes to territory, the Berlin government has become stingy, and the two sides have been unable to reach an agreement for a long time.

……

In the palace of Hanover, George I angrily threw away the Chinese piece in his hand and scolded angrily: "Damn Prussian barbarians, do you really think that we are all reckless men with a tendon like them!"

Just want to take benefits, but refuse to pay the price, how can there be such a good thing in the world?

I think about calculations all day long, I think everyone else is stupid, and I don't want Germans at all.

It seems that we have been with the Poles for a long time, and they have forgotten who they are and have lost all our good traditions.

……”

Although he didn't know why George I was able to associate the "tendon in his head" with the "calculation" in the back, Prime Minister Philip cooperated: "Your Majesty, don't worry. The harsh reality will sober up the Prussian barbarians.

Now they are still obsessed with the glory of the past, and they have not figured out their situation. By the time the Vienna Peace Conference was over, they would know what to do. ”

Frankly, George I was not wrong in scolding. The Berlin government appears to have made significant concessions, but in fact they are all in exchange for benefits.

If you want to take away the financial power, you must bear the debts they left behind; If you want to take away the command of the army, you have to pay them for the casualties.

The debt is absolutely untouchable, and if George I really dares to take it in the name of the central government, the Imperial Diet does not mind vetoing it at the same time, and changing the emperor by the way.

The army behind can also negotiate, the Berlin government has already paid a lot of pensions, and the rest of the part will also need to be paid in annual installments later.

No country in the world dares to say that it can do better than the Kingdom of Prussia when it comes to soldiers' pensions.

No matter how tight the finances were, Wilhelm I did not pay attention to them. Even if there is an occasional default, it is quickly recognised.

Pensions also account for a significant share of the Berlin government's huge military spending.

George I's expression softened slightly: "I hope so!" We cannot make any concessions on this issue.

Although it is not known what the price of the Kingdom of Prussia at the Congress of Vienna was necessary, it was definitely able to keep the traditional territory of the German region.

The rest of the territory is also far beyond Hanover. Without weakening the Kingdom of Prussia, even if the North German Empire is established, we will not be able to maintain our dominance.

The capture of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein and the territory west of the Elbe was our minimum requirement and the basis for the future suppression of Prussia.

The Foreign Office continues to do the work of the London government, the plan was proposed by them, and now we need their support. ”

The Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein + the territory west of the Elbe River in Prussia actually surpassed the Kingdom of Hanover in terms of territory alone.

Of course, the Kingdom of Hanover was more prosperous and more populous. Everyone's cultural traditions are the same, and they can still swallow this piece of fat.

Even because they were separated from the Kingdom of Prussia, they were able to avoid the huge debts after the war and did not have to bear high taxes, and the local people were happy.

After digesting this piece of fat, plus the Rhineland region controlled by the Reichstag, the central government had the strength to suppress the Kingdom of Prussia after the Prussian merger, and had an absolute advantage over the other states.

Against this background, as long as the Kingdom of Prussia made concessions on military and political issues, the other small states would not last long.

The rest can only be worn out by time, and theoretically in another twenty or thirty years, the North German Empire can be basically integrated by political means and step into the ranks of the great powers.

If it weren't for the tempting nature of the pie, George I wouldn't have been tempted. can stand on their own, who wants to be a little brother to others?

Although the chances of failure are somewhat high, it is clearly the latter that is riskier than joining the HRE Empire.

There was no way, when Austria unified the German region, it was when the Great War broke out in Europe. Enemy of the world, George I had no confidence in Austria.

Rather than leaving your fate to someone else, you should be in charge of yourself.

Daring to jump out so early to participate in the Anglo-Austrian game, George I was naturally ready to retreat. Now I stand with the British, and that's because I can get more out of it with the British.

It doesn't matter if it fails, the special system of the HRE Empire has decided that as long as it's not too funny, the Vienna government will not be killed.

succeeded, and created the foundation of the empire; If it fails, it's a big deal to give up the throne, and the Hanover throne can always be kept.

As long as he did not fight on the battlefield, Austria had no reason to depose his throne, and the most serious consequence was to abdicate him and continue to serve as king.

A low-risk, high-yield business is always fascinating.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The Foreign Secretary replied

"Your Majesty, although our financial income is not low, our expenses are also very large, and we have not much money to buy land.

When negotiating, it is necessary to control the transaction price and not exceed the market price too much. Chancellor of the Exchequer Gomez Falias reminded

"Market price", in fact, the current situation is that there is no market price. Not just now, but most of the time. Colonial deals do not count, and few European countries are willing to sell their territories unless necessary.

Land valuations are not high in these years, but as long as it is a territory in Europe, no matter how high or low the value is, the price will not be cheap.

The price of international territorial transactions can only be used as a reference. The specific price should be determined according to the needs of both parties, taking into account all factors.

The Russians sold only a few million Aegis in Alaska, which covered an area of one million square kilometers, while the Rhineland, which was sold only a few million square kilometers in front of the Kingdom of Prussia, was as high as hundreds of millions of Aegis.

A similar case was the case of the Prussian Sachs territorial deal. Even in wartime, it can sell tens of millions of Aegis.

George I waved his hand: "Money is not an issue, the British are happy to take this business." The Kingdom of Prussia owed them a huge debt that could turn into bad debts at any moment, and the bankers had long been in a hurry.

Now the Prussians lack money the most, and they can make concessions in other areas, except on the question of "money".

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will do its best, as long as the final transaction price does not exceed the previous Rhineland, we can accept it. ”

I have to admit that George I's judgment is still very accurate in grasping people's hearts.

The British were really worried that the Berlin government would be finished, and that the loans they had given out would become bad debts, and at this time Hannover would come up and dare to take out loans even without collateral.

To put it bluntly, this is a matter of the left hand versus the right hand. The Hanover loan was to buy land, and the Berlin government had to use the money to pay back the British.

In essence, John Bull does not need to take a penny out, and two orders of business can be completed with a stroke on the account, and by the way, it also reduces his business risk.

Hanover's finances were in good shape, the government was barely in debt, and it was certainly more reliable to lend them money than to Prussia, which was about to go bankrupt at any moment.

The worse the finances, the more the government values money. For the current Berlin government, money is no longer just money, it is also their life.

There is not enough money, and then they themselves will collapse.