The University of Berlin, which has been the cradle of German nationalism since the defeat in the Russo-Prussian War, has been the cradle of radical ideas.

Because of the defeat of the war, the Kingdom of Prussia was saddled with huge debts, and in order to repay the huge debts, the Prussian government had long been overwhelmed and had no money to develop the economy.

The people's lives are stressful and their dissatisfaction with society is high, which naturally exacerbates the spread of ideas.

After joining the German Confederation and receiving economic help from the central government, Prussia's domestic economy improved slightly.

However, now it's all over. With the signing of the treaty on the export of coal to France, the era of the German Confederation relying on high coal prices for profiteering came to an end, and the central government's fiscal revenue was greatly reduced.

Without this revenue, and the states were unwilling to pay taxes to the central government, the central government itself was in a situation where it could not make ends meet, and naturally it was unable to help the Kingdom of Prussia.

Against this backdrop, apart from the coal-rich Rhineland, the Kingdom of Prussia reacted the most.

From the very beginning, the Prussian government was resolutely resistant to negotiations with France, and they were not so easy to talk about in the Federation.

To be able to get them into the Imperial Parliament, it was the result of years of diplomatic efforts, and there was no decision-making power at all.

The arm could not reach the thigh, and the Berlin government could only passively accept it. The government accepted the reality, but the people couldn't help it.

As in all regions of the German Confederation, anti-French demonstrations of varying scale broke out.

At the University of Berlin, a group of young students were engaged in a lively discussion, and when they heard it, they knew that this was a plan to boycott the French.

……

A young student stepped up to the podium: "Ladies and gentlemen, the demonstrations that are taking place now have no effect, the French will not see them at all, and the weak government will not dare to fight against the French.

To change that, we have to take more proactive steps to show the damned French that we're not bullies. ”

The anti-French demonstrations had an effect, and the newspapers and magazines in China stopped entertaining the news and supported the patriotic movement organized by the students.

Workers, the middle class, capitalists, and even government officials joined the demonstrations.

In some small states, the monarch ran out to join in the fun, and appeared in the crowd of demonstrations.

The influence was enough, but unfortunately it did not work very well, the French did not choose to compromise, and the German federal government did not dare to tear up the treaty.

"Fritz, what is a more positive action?

Is it the siege of the French Legation?

It's useless, the rotten central government has long sent troops to block the embassy district, and we can't get in at all!

It is even more useless to make a wish to the government.

The Berlin government has always been opposed to compromise with the French, and in fact all the states except Hanover do not support compromise with the French. ”

As a state government, this kind of thing to be scolded must of course be opposed.

Except for Hanover, the central government, which can't hide and must go up, everyone else is as far away as they can to hide.

From the fact that the Imperial Diet did not veto this treaty, it is clear that compromise is the common will of many states, but the black cauldron has made the Hanoverians carry it.

Even Wilhelm II, who had just succeeded to the throne, issued a letter of condemnation with righteous words, scolding the French and the central government to the core.

Anyway, under the system of the German Confederation, the central government can't help the monarch of the state, and if it scolds, it will be scolded.

Prussia had been willing to cooperate with the central government in order to obtain financial aid, which was a condition for Prussia to agree to form a two-chamber empire with Hanover.

Now that the promised aid is gone, Wilhelm II did not turn his face, but just scolded a few words without pain, which is already very face-saving.

Fritz shook his head: "Of course not, the central government is too weak, and Hanover colluded with Britain and France to betray the interests of the empire, which is not something that can be solved by a petition."

The best way to change the situation is to show the French our determination and force them to make concessions.

Although we have called on the public to refuse to buy French goods, this is still not enough. We have to do more to get the French to compromise.

I have roughly calculated that the total annual import and export trade between the German Confederation and France is about 67 million Aegis.

Coal exports alone account for a quarter of it, and if the French don't want to plunder cheap coal, we won't let them buy a single piece of coal.

The coal exported by the British alone was not enough for the French. As long as trade between the two countries can be severed, there is no fear of intransigence from the French. ”

It is a fact that once the German Confederation stops exporting coal to France, the French will not be able to find enough replacements for a short time.

At present, the main coal-producing countries in Europe are Britain, Germany, Russia, and Austria, and the Russians' coal is shipped out at sky-high prices, and Austria's coal is rarely exported to foreign countries.

Although the British exported a large amount of coal, the sudden increase in the market gap could not be filled in a day or two.

In the enlarged version of France, the amount of coal consumed every day is an astronomical amount. As soon as there is a shortage of supply, the French economy will immediately have problems.

But it was not only the French economy that was unlucky, but also the German Confederation.

Cutting off trade between the two countries would also cost the German Confederation a lot of money, bankrupt countless businesses, and risk millions of people losing their jobs.

Hearing this crazy plan, the rational Hans exclaimed: "Fritz, your plan is too crazy. Do this, the French will go crazy! ”

Losses or something, for nationalists, are small issues.

After all, most of the people who were able to enter the university were from better families, and they had not yet been beaten by society, and they did not know how heavy the economic losses were, and the focus was still on the reaction of the French.

Don't look at everyone's slogans shouting loudly, I'm not afraid that the French are just talking, if the French call, everyone is still panicking.

Fritz sneered: "If you want to defend the sovereignty of the country, how can you not take risks?

Even if the French do fight, what can they do?

His Majesty Franz has publicly pledged to keep us safe, and everyone knows what the credibility of his old man is.

Gathering the strength of all the countries of the German region, we are not afraid of the French, and we are even stronger.

Now they are afraid only of the rotten central government, which fears that the outbreak of war will lead to the unification of the German regions and the loss of their power. ”

Looking at the emotional crowd, Hans fell into self-doubt. It seems that a war broke out, and it is not so terrible.

Although the French are strong, the German Confederation + Austria are not weak either. The gap in the combat effectiveness of the army, no one knew before this was fought.

But fundamentally, Germany and Austria are really good together. The population is twice that of France, the economy is 2.7 times that of France, and the heavy industry is four times that of France......

In fact, the steel production of the North German Confederation is on par with that of France, especially the steel production of France.

Other factors aside, judging from these data alone, there is really no reason to be afraid.

Even if the combat effectiveness of the French army can explode, everyone can pile up the number. The Russo-Prussian War has proven that as long as the quantity is sufficient, no matter how high the quality is, it will be buried.

From the beginning to the end, Franz's opinion was represented by everyone, and it was tacitly believed that he would fight for the unification of the German region.

……

Cutting off trade between the two countries is easier said than done, at least not yet by the students at the University of Berlin.

A vigorous tandem movement began in Prussia and spread throughout Germany.

As soon as the number of participants was large, it was impossible to keep it a secret, and the matter of the student tandem soon appeared on the tables of the leaders of the various states.

After receiving this news, Wilhelm II, who was in the source of the storm, was confused, and trouble came.

The multiple-choice questions are not easy to do, and the students of newborn calves dare to bet, which does not mean that the rulers also dare to gamble with all their worth.

Having personally experienced the defeat of the Russo-Prussian War, Wilhelm II did not have the arrogance of the original time and space, and the current Kingdom of Prussia was not a coaxing Second Empire.

Being able to force the French to compromise without a war is naturally the best option.

But what if the situation gets out of hand?

Once war broke out, the Kingdom of Prussia, as part of the German Confederation, was simply not immune to it.

If the war is lost, the Hohenzollern Dynasty, which is already in an unstable position, will be directly destroyed; Even if you win the war, it's a wedding dress for someone else.

If it had not been for the fact that Austria was not ready for war, Wilhelm II would have suspected that this was a conspiracy of the Habsburgs.

Of course, Kaiser Wilhelm II had another option, which was to immediately stop the student tandem and avoid the outbreak of a nationwide anti-French movement.

It will only affect the prestige of the monarchy, and may even be considered a betrayal by nationalists, weakening the foundation of its own rule.

Also in a state of confusion were George I, who assumed almost all of the firepower as the central government of the German Confederation.

Sometimes George I really wanted to ignore the recklessness and win the emperor and defeat the king of the state, saving so much birdishness.