Holy Roman Empire

His judgment was not wrong. The British gave up the plan of military intervention immediately because the British Army could not produce a large enough force.

……

When all countries were preparing, Franz was not idle. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs became busy and opened public relations throughout the European continent.

Even Switzerland, which has a feud with the Habsburg dynasty, has not let it go. Hatred is a thing of the past.Relations between the two countries have been normalized since permanent neutrality was declared at the Congress of Vienna in 1815.

Of course, this is not the focus of Austrian public relations, it is just a routine to show the attitude of the Swiss government.

Unless Switzerland is willing to give up its neutral position, it will be impossible for them to participate in this war, and in fact they will not be able to participate.

Switzerland in this era is still not the developed country of later generations. As a mountainous country, poverty is naturally indispensable before industrialization is completed.

In addition to fooling the states in the German region, the biggest public relations target is actually the French.The Russians can't count, this was done in advance, and now we just continue to maintain communication.

It's not that Franz doesn't want to do the work of the British, the problem is that John Bull is too smart, and Austria has no interest in buying them.

On the contrary, it is the French who have a common language and can pay a certain price to buy it.Franz was afraid of the pain of cutting his own body, so he could only be generous to others.

……

Chapter 1 Interference

On July 1853, 7, Prime Minister Felix visited the Grand Duchy of Baden again and had a historic meeting with Prince Regent Friedrich.

Prime Minister Felix continued to fool around: "Your Highness, the unification of Germany is the common wish of all the German people, and the Bavarian government, which is man-made, has been abandoned by the people.

History has entrusted us with the mission to realize national unity at this time.As the nobles of the German region, we have a responsibility to fulfill this obligation. "

Facing the deceitful Prime Minister Felix, Prince Friedrich is extremely troubled. Now "unification" in the Principality of Baden is politically correct. With the lessons learned by the Bavarian government, he dare not make mistakes on this issue.

While Felix was flickering, he was also accompanied by the threat of force from Austria.

The Kingdom of Bavaria has been settled, and the Austrian army moved involuntarily to the border of the Grand Duchy of Baden, and there were not too many people, only about a hundred thousand.

This number has already made Prince Friedrich unable to sleep well.In his opinion, there is no need for [-] Austrian troops, even [-] Austrian troops are a serious threat.

Fortunately, the Austrians know how to give courtesy first and soldiers later, so there is room for maneuver.Even if it is to be merged, it must be sold at a good price, right?

Prince Friedrich raised the question in his heart: "Your Excellency, as a nobleman in the German region, I am also willing to contribute to the unification of the German region. The problem now is that European countries do not want to see the unification of Germany.

Britain, France and Russia have all expressed their attitudes. Once the German region is unified, they will send troops to intervene, and the Prussians will hook up with them again.

If we cannot handle this issue well, we will start the reunification process rashly, which may turn into a large-scale war. "

Aristocracy is not only a privilege, but also a responsibility, which is why European aristocrats are respected.

Prince Friedrich could not directly reject the unification of Germany, so he simply put the problem of unification in front of his eyes, and by the way, he also blackmailed a wave of Prussians.

If Austria cannot solve this problem, then there will be no talk of reunification. At worst, let Austria eat Bavaria, and it will be over.

A dead friend is not a poor man. Prince Friedrich has no intention of complaining for the Bavarian government. The Austrians have already paid attention to their appearance and publicly promised that the two royal families will exchange their land.

Although the exact location has not been disclosed, for the Bavarian royal family, this has been the best choice.As a royal family abandoned by the people, staying in Bavaria will not be able to secure the throne, so it is better to change the place to keep the foundation.

Prime Minister Felix said confidently: "Your Highness can rest assured about this issue. If the diplomatic issue cannot be resolved, we dare not bring up unification at this time.

His Royal Highness must be very aware of the current world situation. Britain, France and Russia are fighting fiercely in the Near East. Even if they want to interfere, they have more than enough heart but not enough power.

As long as everyone reaches an agreement, the unification of the German region is not a problem.The trouble now is the Kingdom of Prussia, who have always been ambitious and want to annex the entire German region.

We will try our best to fight for it. If the Prussian government opposes and colludes with the big powers, then this time we will unify the South German region first.

This is the bottom line of Austria, anyone who dares to obstruct, then see you in the war! "

Prince Friedrich finally understood that the previous ones were all routines, and the last sentence was the real purpose of Austria.

After careful calculation, he found that Austria's plan seemed to have a very high success rate. The Kingdom of Bavaria was finished, and the southern German region no longer had the power to resist them.

If it is the unification of the German region, the three countries of Britain, France and Russia will definitely not be able to tolerate it.If it were replaced by the partition of North and South Germany, the result would be different.

Austria has become bigger, but this kind of expansion has just stepped on everyone's bottom line, and it does not threaten everyone's survival.

For the British, there is no need to worry about losing control of the continental balance. After the strength of Austria, it will keep pace with the French, and at most it will be stronger than the Russians.

Anyway, Austria is surrounded by the three countries of Russia, Prussia and France. At this point, it can no longer expand, even if it is a little stronger, it is within the tolerance range.

Not to mention the Russians, the Russia-Austria alliance is well known, as long as the entire German region is not unified and the Russians feel threatened, they can accept the rest.

Prince Friedrich guessed that Russia and Austria had already reached an agreement, otherwise the Austrians would not dare to take action at this time.

France alone does not seem to be able to intimidate Austria, so whoever is afraid of whoever fights?As long as it is not for the rebirth of Napoleon, Austria, which has unified the southern German region, will not hesitate at all.

Prince Friedrich involuntarily acquiesced in his heart that the people supported unification. From this point of view, when calculating Austria's military strength, the power of several states in South Germany was also added.

There is nothing wrong with this calculation. When the French call, they can't help but fight.Foreign enemies invaded, and some people dare to call neutral?

Prince Friedrich thought for a while and said, "Your Excellency, in principle, I agree with the unification of the German region. The Duchy of Baden will not hinder the unification of the country, but we still need to discuss the specific details."

The competition for interests cannot be retreated, and now Prince Friedrich naturally wants to fight for the interests of the Principality of Baden, or for himself.

Felix showed joy, and got an affirmative answer. He knew that the Principality of Baden was settled, so was he afraid to discuss the specific conditions?

You must know that there is a law in the world called the "Constitution", and the central government can completely restrict the rights of local governments through laws.

In the new government, Austria occupies an absolute dominant position. How can these small states contend?

Felix said flickeringly: "No problem, considering that each state in the German region has its own system, in principle we advocate state autonomy.

Except that everyone must abide by the common "Constitution", the central government usually does not interfere with the governance of local governments. "

All of these have a prerequisite, that is - temporarily.

Prince Friedrich was satisfied, but he couldn't do it if he wasn't satisfied. Prime Minister Felix's attitude was too firm, and the threat of force would make him unable to say no.

As for leaking the plans of the Austrians, Prince Friedrich was not so stupid, it was a thankless thing.

Even if Britain and France know about it, they will not be able to change the result of the unification of the Principality of Baden. Now it is the best choice to sell the Principality of Baden for a good price.

If you turn your face, you can refer to the treatment of the Bavarian royal family.Replacing the country sounds good, but in fact they have lost a lot of money, and the business results of several generations have been lost, and they have to start again.

What if the Austrian government is shameless, and in the last ten or eight years, it will come up with a moth and find an excuse to take down their throne?

In the new land, they don't have a solid mass base. If the royal family is abolished, it will be abolished, and they can't even stir up troubles.

After a week of negotiations, on July 1853, 7, Prime Minister Felix signed the "Declaration of German Unity" on behalf of Austria and the Principality of Baden represented by Prince Friedrich.

To put it simply, the Principality of Baden and Austria are considered to be the same country from now on, even though the nascent parallel Shenluo Empire has not yet been established.

Prior to this, the Kingdom of Saxony had already signed.The Austrian government threatened and lured a set of punches, and the domestic people followed suit. It is difficult for them not to compromise!

Nationalism in the German region has been detonated. The Bavarian government, which hindered the unification of the country, was killed by Austria. The Principality of Saxony, the Principality of Baden and Austria reached an agreement.

It seems that the day of the unification of the German region is not far away. When Prime Minister Felix arrived in Württemberg, the crowds to greet him had already crowded the streets, and finally had to negotiate in a manor outside the city.

When Austria issued a declaration of war, everyone thought that the war was inevitable. As a result, the Bavarians successfully turned the war into an armed parade, and the dawn of peaceful reunification appeared again.

Even before the negotiations started, the Württemberg government was already under great pressure.Prior to this, many people had publicly stated that if the reunification war broke out, they would not help the government fight.

In order to prevent the Bavarian government from repeating the past, the Kingdom of Württemberg naturally succumbed. As long as Austria can handle the international pressure, then everyone will be a family.

On July 1853, 7, the yet-to-be-established Shinra Empire of Parallel Imports appeared: five states: Austria, Bavaria, Baden, Saxony, and Württemberg.

The southern German region has basically achieved unification. Felix is ​​on his way to Hessen-Darmstadt, and the Free City of Frankfurt has announced that it has joined the Shenluo Empire.

At this time, Britain, France, Russia and other countries that were preparing to intervene had reached an agreement. On July 7, Britain, France and Russia jointly issued a statement announcing a one-month truce in the Near East.

The next day, twelve European countries, including Britain, France, and Russia, issued a joint note requesting Austria to stop the unification of Germany.

Without any threatening language, with just this note, Austria had to stop the pace of unification. Fortunately, Franz's goal has been completed at this time.

The German region, where the dawn of unification had just appeared, immediately fell into a wail, and many people found helplessly that unification was still far away.

The Kingdom of Prussia also appeared among the intervening countries this time, and Franz didn't think it was any surprise.What is it to bear a little infamy for the sake of profit?

Anyway, now that their reputations are all ruined, Frederick William IV doesn't mind being scolded a few more times.

If the Kingdom of Prussia does not participate in this operation, it is certain that the division of the German region has nothing to do with them.

Support Prussia against Austria?Such a good thing, just think about it in your dreams.

The United Kingdom stated that Hannover is its own younger brother and cannot give up, otherwise where will the boss lose face?Isn't it enough to check and balance Austria, the French and the Russians?

The French said, I'm not stupid. It's not enough to have Austria as a competitor. Do we need to add another one now?

The Russian said, yes, I support you spiritually, and if you want to fight for the actual benefits, Russia is not stupid.

The interests of Europe are so great. If the Prussians get more, it means that others will get less.

Which idiot is willing to take out his own interests and cultivate an opponent?

The geographical location has been determined. Once the Kingdom of Prussia rises, it will be everyone's competitor.Because there is not enough meat left for the Kingdom of Prussia, they can only go and grab it.

Check and balance Austria?Once the German region was split, Austria's expansion was blocked.

To the west are the French, to the east are the Russians, to the north is Prussia, to the south is the Balkan Peninsula, and the Kingdom of Sardinia in the southwest is the younger brother of the British.

How can Austria choose?Oh, and there is a Switzerland that wants nothing but nothing. Unless the Vienna government collectively has water in its head, it will not be interested in the backbone of Europe.

According to the plan proposed by the Russians, Austria should either stay where it is, or go out to colonize if it wants to expand!

This Britain and France are really not cowardly, and Austria is really not an opponent in overseas competition.Geographical location determines that Austria is naturally at a disadvantage in overseas colonization.

As long as you develop colonies overseas, you will be stuck by Britain and France. If you don't have a good relationship with everyone, don't think about gaining anything.

Chapter 1 Transactions

The sudden suspension of the Near East war woke up many people in the Austrian government in an instant.There is nothing surprising, the great powers are not fools, and they will not let the unified German Empire come out to compete with them.

This was expected by Franz. Unlike the empires that existed in history, Austria now looks much stronger.

When deterring European countries, it is natural to be feared by everyone.At this time, diplomacy is very important, blindly reckless is not what a wise man does.

Berlin

Metternich proposed to the Prussian government to carve up the German region. There is no doubt that the Prussians are not stupid, and it is difficult for the two sides to negotiate.

It is easy for Austria to annex South Germany, but it is very troublesome for Prussia to annex North Germany. This is a matter of soft power.

The militaristic Prussia is only strong in military strength. Culturally, most German states can despise them.

This is also the reason why the Kingdom of Prussia is easy to recruit gangsters. They have no right to speak in the cultural circle, and they are not recognized by everyone culturally.

Of course, they can also learn from history and use force to force everyone to agree.But the current government of Frederick William IV is too scared to take this step.

All countries jointly stopped the reunification of Germany, and Austria encountered unprecedented difficulties in diplomacy.If Prussia jumps out at this time, the pressure on Austria will be relieved, and they themselves will be forced.

The North German region is different from the South German region. Most of the countries in South Germany are younger brothers of Austria and have been influenced by Austria for a long time. This is why Franz advocated the use of political means to unify.

There are still British handwriting in the North German region. Prussia wants to annex these regions, and Hannover is a hurdle that cannot be overcome.

After experiencing an incident in Denmark, the Berlin government knew that the big powers were not easy to mess with. Even if the British would not directly approach the city like the Russians, it would be terrible for the navy to come out to block the door.

Metternich said calmly: "Your Majesty, North Germany is the most prosperous region in Germany. Although their territory is slightly smaller, their economic strength is not weak at all."

The economic strength of the North German region is indeed not weak, and the total amount exceeds half of the Kingdom of Prussia. This is the place Frederick William IV dreamed of.

Frederick William IV shook his head and said: "Your Excellency, although the economy of North Germany is good, it is still not as good as that of South Germany, both in terms of population base and territorial area.

Considering the complex situation in North Germany, it is very difficult for the Kingdom of Prussia to annex these states, which is very unfair, and Prussia needs to obtain Saxony as compensation. "

Obviously, the Prussian government had realized the importance of population during this period.

Metternich replied coldly: "Your Majesty, strength determines power. Once this limit is exceeded, it means disaster!"

Fair enough, how is that possible?Austria paid such a high price, and finally allowed the Kingdom of Prussia to obtain the same benefits. Is the Vienna government really stupid?

……

The Prussian government did not dare to provoke the British, but hoped to obtain compensation in the Central German region. This is obviously not acceptable to Austria.The last negotiation between Pu and Ao naturally ended in unhappiness.

Metternich's goal has been achieved, and the Prussians are tempted and want to carve up a piece of meat when the German region is divided, which means that they cannot cooperate closely with Britain and France.

If the German region is divided into three according to the British and French proposals, and the states except Caprus and Austria are merged into one country, what good will the Prussians have?

Can't Prussia abolish martial arts in order to restrict Austria, right?Once this country was established, the loss of the Kingdom of Prussia was great.

Without the South German region, Austria would still be a European power; without the North German region, the Kingdom of Prussia would not be able to maintain its status as a quasi-power.

The complete industrial system is gone, and the German Customs Union, which is related to the lifeline of the Prussian economy, no longer exists.

A Kingdom of Prussia with a population of 400 million cannot support an independent economy, even in the 19th century.

The area of ​​North Germany is small, but the population is large. Once it is annexed, the population of the Kingdom of Prussia will exceed 2000 million. This number has already surpassed that of England, and the total economic volume will increase by [-] to [-]%.