Whether they wanted it or not, since the French had declared war on Belgium, Leopold II had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow.

Leopold II could not do such a shameless thing without declaring a war, and the Belgian people would not agree to it.

On September 28, 1890, in a panic, the Belgian government issued a telegram to publicly declare war on France.

There can be no doubt that this telegram declaring war was not only for the French, but also for Austria.

As if to say: the boss, the little brother is on board, now it's up to you.

In the afternoon of the same day, Franz gave an anti-aggression speech in the Reichstag, denouncing the shameless behavior of France, and then the deputies unanimously passed a motion to declare war on France.

The next day, Franz issued a Letter to the French People at the Palais de Vienna, listing a bunch of the consequences of the war and calling on the French people to stand up against the war of aggression launched by the government.

There is no doubt that such an exhortation document has no effect at all, and war has already been declared, so it is naturally impossible to listen to his shouts and stop it.

Of course, if the Italians are barely included in the French population, then this political show is the perfect level.

After the proclamation, an anti-war and anti-aggression movement broke out in Rome, which quickly spread to several Italian cities. If it weren't for the incompetence of the Italian Independence Organization, it might have been another popular uprising.

On September 29, 1890, the French government declared war on Austria, and on the same day, French troops invaded Belgium and Luxembourg, kicking off the European War.

In the palace of Hanover, George I was babbling and cursing: "Damn British liars, it's a bunch of ...... to have children."

It can be seen from the expression that George I was miserable by the British.

The strength of the German Confederation was not weak, and there was also Austria behind it, joining the security guarantees promised by the British, and George I mistakenly believed that the French were only targeting Belgium this time.

Against this background, George I naturally wanted to agitate Austria and hide behind himself to watch the play.

In order to drag Austria into the water, George I actively cooperated in the early stage of the establishment of the anti-French alliance.

After the signing of the Covenant, George I began to slack off after believing that the overall situation was decided, and the incessant deception of the British.

Anyway, the German Confederation is in a lot of chaos, and it makes sense to be slower, and it is not afraid that the allies will be held accountable.

In addition to putting on a show, George I did not urge the states to expand their armaments, and his allies urged him to push him to the Imperial Diet.

After Bio and the two countries declared war on the French, George I was still secretly celebrating the success of the plan, who knew that the French would not even let them go.

It is impossible to hide, because of the butterfly effect, Luxembourg is still a member of the German Confederation and has not become independent.

As the "Gibraltar of the North", Luxembourg is such a strategic location, and the French naturally cannot let it go.

Otherwise, when the war reached a critical moment, the Germans would have come out of Luxembourg, and the French would have to cry.

It turned out that the guarantees of the British were not worth much on the side of the French. Regardless of whether the German Confederation entered the war or not, the French army had already moved anyway.

Unless George I could sit idly by and watch Luxembourg fall, the war would be decided.

"Your Majesty, rest your anger! The affairs of the British will be settled with them in the future, and the top priority at the moment is to mobilize as soon as possible to ensure the security of the western territory.

At the same time, strengthen ties with allies, clear up previous misunderstandings, and find a way to win the war. Prime Minister Aivar persuaded

Ignoring the Prime Minister, George I asked: "What do the British say?" Shouldn't they give us an explanation for something like this? ”

The central government of the German Confederation, dominated by Hanover, was pro-British from top to bottom, and even the largest number of pro-Austrians in the German Confederation were in the minority here.

The traditional friendship between Britain and China goes back a long way, and for a long time the two countries had a common monarch, and for nearly a hundred years they were the closest allies.

Now that this is happening, the impact on George I can be imagined, even with the pro-British leader of the Prime Minister.

"The British government said it was a misunderstanding and they are communicating with France, so let's stay calm first." Foreign Minister Weidlund replied worriedly

It can indeed be regarded as a misunderstanding, at least France and Germany have not declared war on each other, and theoretically there is still the possibility of mediation.

It is impossible to calm down, the French army is attacking the Luxembourg region, George I can be calm, but the officers and soldiers at the front line can't.

No matter how pro-British he was, George I was not a fool. If the British government strongly announces its intervention, he can wait and see, and to put it mildly, it is fooling a fool.

"Misunderstanding, could it be that the French army who went to Luxembourg went on vacation?

Tell the British that if the French do not withdraw from the German regions within 24 hours, then war!

The 1st, 2nd, and 7th Divisions stationed in the Rhineland region were ordered to immediately reinforce Luxembourg, and the 9th and 11th Divisions were ordered to move to the Belgian region and be ready to reinforce Belgium at any time.

Inform the representatives of the states that the Imperial Assembly will be convened this evening. The government immediately issued a national mobilization order in the name of the central government.

Arrange it, tomorrow I'm going to Berlin. At this point, we had to enlist the support of Prussia.

……”

At the critical moment, George I still showed the qualities of a monarch and issued a series of orders in an orderly manner.

Not wanting to go to war with the French does not mean that the German Confederation is not prepared for war. The German region has been fighting for hundreds of years, and the princes and kings who have survived are all from family backgrounds, and none of them have fuel-efficient lamps.

The situation in Europe is tense [new], how can everyone not be prepared? The biggest problem of the German Confederation was the difficulty of coordination, and nothing else.

George I was fooled by the British, and in fact he was forced to helpless. Because at this time, if you fight with the French, no matter what the victory or defeat, there is a chance that more than 99% of you will lose the throne.

If you lose the war, you will either be stripped of the throne by the French or ousted by the people.

After winning the war, the German-Austrian merger was the general trend, and the Gotha dynasty in Germany could not compete with the Habsburgs at all, and Hanover could not compete with Austria.

For a monarch to lose the throne, it is not just a loss of fame, but a lifelong shame.

The promise of the English was a life-saving straw, and the desire in his heart drove George I to believe.

Now that the lie has been exposed, George I has come to his senses. Since war cannot be avoided, it is necessary to face reality.

After winning this war, he still has the capital to negotiate conditions, even if he can't keep the throne, he can have a decent ending.

If the war is lost, it will lose all the initiative, and can only rely on the support of the British to maintain the system, and it may be overthrown by the people at any time.

Having experienced what had just happened, George I had lost faith in the British and was ready to be self-reliant.

To fight the French, the importance of the Kingdom of Prussia was demonstrated. With its brilliant record against the Russians, the Kingdom of Prussia was the armed force of the German Confederation.

Despite heavy losses in previous wars and poaching by Austria after the war, the Kingdom of Prussia still had a good fighting ability.

"Your Majesty, in view of the current complex international situation, it is quite possible that the British will stand with the French, and I propose to suspend the payment of loans to the British." Prime Minister Aivar remedied

The German Confederation was cheated by the British, and as the leader of the pro-British faction, I believe that Chancellor Ivar, who was promised by the British, must be responsible.

Prime Minister Aivar, who did not want to follow the end of the party, decisively chose to cut off with the British, and the pro-British became anti-British.

Politicians, changing their faces like flipping books, this is a normal operation, and Prime Minister Aivar does not have the slightest psychological pressure.

"I'm afraid this won't work, the British government is supporting the French, but it's all secretly, and Britain is still a neutral country on the surface.

If we declare a default on our debt at this time, it is very likely that the British will really be pushed to the side of the French, and the situation will be even more unfavorable for us. "Foreign Secretary Weidlund

It's the 19th century, and it's not fun to pay for debts, and it's common to collect them by force, and the European countries that really succeeded in repaying debts in these years are the Russians.

In the face of British creditors, the German Confederation clearly did not have the strength to pay its debts. If they really tear their faces, they are the ones who are unlucky.

After hesitating for a moment, George I gritted his teeth and said, "On the pretext of the outbreak of war, send a telegram to the British, telling them that we are going to defer the payment of the loan.

This time they put us along, and if nothing else, the London government will give us some reassurance.

Now that the payment of the debt is deferred, the British should not make a big move. Remember to be sincere, and the Foreign Office should try to reassure the British.

When necessary, a promise can be made to the British that we will resume payments as soon as the French withdraw their troops. ”

George I's accounts for the English were also forced out, the German Confederation had money, it was the local states that had money, and the central government had always been poor.

Taxes could not be collected, and the central government of the German Federal Republic could not even pay the salaries of its staff, which in many cases could not be paid, and had to be paid in advance by the Hanover treasury.

War is another gold-swallowing beast, and the central government will certainly not be able to pay for the huge amount of war funds.

It is another protracted dispute to ask the governments of all states to bear the burden. At this juncture, it is better to save a penny, and it is better to defer the payment of the British's debts than to go bankrupt.

By the way, the British can also be warned not to go too far, otherwise the German Confederation will be finished, and their debts will be finished.

It is a pity that George I was not confident enough, and the meaning of warning was blown away.