Holy Roman Empire

Paris

The Prussian government withdrew from the intervening coalition forces, the British plan naturally changed, and negotiations resumed.

Thomas proposed again: "Everyone, considering the stability of the European continent, there must be a buffer between the major powers. I suggest that Baden, Hanover, Hamburg, Bremen...and other German states form a new country.

Considering the actual situation, the Kingdom of Prussia can exchange land with this new country, leaving enough buffer space between France and Austria. "

This meeting's suggestion is much more reliable, at least Metternich thinks so, except for the absence of the Duchy of Baden, the British from other states in South Germany have not proposed it.

In order to maintain a certain buffer with the French, in order to gain everyone's recognition, paying for the Principality of Baden, in Metternich's view, this price can also be considered.

While Metternich was thinking, French representative Auvergne took the lead in expressing his support: "Mr. Thomas's proposal is good. For the peace and stability of the European continent, it is necessary to leave a buffer between the major powers."

The reason is naturally that it is good for everyone's strategic security. The French now have neither the arrogance to conquer the world nor the strength to fight alone.

Since it cannot be swallowed, it is necessary to avoid conflicts with major powers as much as possible.As a member of vested interests, a stable European continent is in the interests of Britain and France.

My hometown is unstable, even if I open up a colony overseas, I don’t feel at ease?Don't look at the British who have repeatedly provoked conflicts among European countries. In fact, they most hope that Europe will be stable.

Of course, this kind of stability must be established when the strengths of all countries are evenly matched.Obviously, at this time, the countries on the European continent are restraining each other, and no one can dominate, so it is necessary to stabilize.

And this new country dominated by the British will inevitably move closer to them politically, increasing their right to speak on the European continent.

At the same time, they also kept their market in the German region, and the government can reap the gratitude of a wave of capitalists, which is simply killing multiple birds with one stone.

……

Karl Worser was also a little eager to try, but seeing that Metternich did not express his position, considering that it involved Austria's interests and it was a clearly stipulated place in the covenant, he could not speak up to support it rashly.

It's nothing surprising. The Russians' current strategy is to go south to Constantinople, and they can't take care of the European continent for the time being. A stable Europe is also what they need.

Metternich thought for a while and said: "This issue involves the Duchy of Baden and the Palatinate Province of Bavaria. We must carefully consider this issue."

Seeing that the Austrians did not object, the Prussian representative Rottruf couldn't bear it. He knew that if they didn't come out to fight for their interests now, they would lose a lot.

"No, the Rhineland region is the most important industrial area in the Kingdom of Prussia, we can't give up like this!"

……

Chapter 112 Dark Days

The changes at the Paris conference were passed on to Franz, Metternich explained his views, and high-level government officials in Vienna also made suggestions.

Generally speaking, it is just to accept as soon as it is good. According to Austria's original plan to annex South Germany, Baden can't keep it now, but there is one more Saxony.

In terms of territorial size, the two are similar. Obviously, the Saxony region is more important to Austria. Regardless of industry, at least the population is hundreds of thousands more than the Principality of Baden.

The three-point German plan is part of the Austrian unification plan. It was first proposed by Metternich and began to be arranged a few years ago.

It's just that the original ideal plan was to integrate the small states in the North German region to establish a new country and prevent Prussia from unifying the North German region.

There is no doubt that if this plan is proposed by Austria, it will fail [-]%.The Prussian government probably didn't even have to think about it, so they rolled up their sleeves and went to work.

Therefore, this task can only be handed over to the British.In the early stage, the Austrian government had to persuade enough to make the Prussian government think that under international pressure, Austria would admit defeat and withdraw from the German region.

Once Austria is out, there will be no suspense for the Kingdom of Prussia to unify the German region. Under this temptation, Frederick William IV did not hold back and missed two opportunities for Germany.

Franz was incapable of commanding the British, so he could only make the British think that a three-point Germany was in their best interest. To be precise, he made London capitalists think that a three-point Germany could keep their market.

Austria does not have the ability to interfere with the decision of the London government. At most, it is to buy some experts and scholars to create public opinion.

It can't even have a relationship with Austria. From the beginning to the end, it was done by the Bavarian government, and it was Maximilian II who contributed money and effort.

The theory of three-point Germany, Maximilian II was the first to fool around. Historically, the Kingdom of Bavaria also proposed the three-point German concept, but it was not successful due to lack of strength.

On the surface, the Austrian Foreign Ministry seems to have done nothing, but in fact Metternich has done a lot.

In order to convince the Bavarian government that as long as the big powers support it, three parts of Germany can succeed.The Austrian government spends several million guilders on publicity every year.

Austria controlled the beginning, but not the end.Manipulating the decision-making of a government is inherently unreliable, and trying to control the rhythm is simply a dream.

Without hesitating for a long time, Franz made a decision: "Giving power to the Vienna government can make concessions, but don't make it too obvious. We also need to use the pressure of various countries to force the Prussian government to give up the Rhineland region."

A new country was originally established to contain the Kingdom of Prussia, but now the British have proposed a strategic buffer in a whimsical way, allowing the Kingdom of Prussia to exchange land with this new country.

This must be supported. Looking at most famous diplomatic allusions in history, they all started from whimsy.If it is not unexpected, is this still a classic?

The Rhineland does not seem to be very well-known, and everyone knows it as the Ruhr area, or the Rhine-Ruhr area.

There are 80% of Germany's hard coal, 90% of coke, and 60% of steel. It is also the most important machinery manufacturing center in Germany, known as the "German Industrial Heart".

Is it possible for the Kingdom of Prussia without the Rhineland to rise as it did in history?

Obviously it is impossible.

Of course, the importance of the Rhineland in this era was not as great as that of later generations, and the local industry had just started in the mid-19th century.

Otherwise, when Austria invaded the southern German region, Napoleon III would have gone up regardless.

Even if the proposal failed, the Kingdom of Prussia refused to exchange land.It doesn't matter, when France is short of coal in the future, Napoleon III will definitely provoke the Franco-Prussian War.

Even if he doesn't want to fight, the French capitalists will find a way to start a war. If it doesn't work, Austria can add to the fire.

If the Prussians won, Austria would carve up the new country with them; if the French won, it would be better if Austria annexed the new country in one go, just to balance the French who invaded the Rhineland industrial area!

……

Berlin

Since the British's proposal came out, the Prussian government has fried the pot.Frederick William IV cursed angrily. No one is a fool. Isn't the main purpose of them hanging out with the British for profit?

Well now, Austria has been kicked out, but they have also taken away a large amount of inheritance.Not only did the Kingdom of Prussia gain nothing, it was also kicked out of the German region.

He didn't need to think about the reason, he also knew it-benefits.

The newborn regime will definitely be pro-British in the future. After Belgium, the London government has driven another nail in the European continent.

It's called a strategic buffer, but in fact, this buffer not only restricted Austria, but also cut off the Kingdom of Prussia's road to a great power.

Frederick William IV asked angrily: "What about Austria, how do they react? Do they just allow the British to run amok?"

Foreign Minister Andrea replied: "Your Majesty, Austria's attitude is very contradictory and seems to be hesitating. They neither want to give up the Principality of Baden, nor do they want to cause the negotiation to break down.

Now the pressure is all on us, whether we agree to the land exchange or not, this new nation will be born. "

To put it simply, this country that is in the interests of the great powers will be born, but the Kingdom of Prussia can refuse the land exchange proposal, and the countries have not forced them to agree.

"If we join forces with Austria now, what is the success rate of carve-up of the German region?" Frederick William IV asked with concern

Why is Britain not Britain? In the face of interests, Frederick William IV still summoned up his courage and wanted to give it a go.

"Your Majesty, the prerequisite is that the Austrians are willing to join forces with us. Now the situation has changed. Apart from the Duke of Baden, Austria has almost got everything it wants this time.

Joining forces with us at this time, what benefits do they have?Unless we make major concessions in terms of benefit distribution! " Foreign Secretary Andrea replied

Frederick William IV was silent. If he made concessions, once Austria annexed the central German region, the basic base of the Kingdom of Prussia would be too small.

Small land and small population mean that the development potential is limited.The dream of a great country must first be big enough!

According to the original Austrian proposal, the Kingdom of Prussia, which annexed North Germany, had a population of more than 2000 million and a territory of nearly 38 square kilometers. The price was to offend Britain and France.

Initiating a war now is also offending Britain and France, but the benefits will be much smaller. Frederick William IV is naturally not reconciled.

"Your Majesty, the opportunity has been missed now, why not wait for the next opportunity! It is impossible for the European continent to remain in balance forever. As long as the power of Britain, Russia, France and Austria is out of balance, war will be inevitable." Joseph von Radowitz thought for a while explain

After wandering around for a while, Frederick William IV said, "Then what about the land exchange, should we refuse?"

"Your Majesty, from a strategic point of view, after we exchange the Rhineland region, we can make the country more concentrated, the national defense and security more secure, and avoid bordering the French.

But the resources in the Rhineland region are also very important to us. Even if we switch to the economically developed Hamburg region, we will suffer a disadvantage. ’ replied Prime Minister Josef von Radowitz

This was a dilemma, and Joseph von Radowitz suspected that the British proposal was originally uneasy and well-intentioned.Of course, the target here may not necessarily be the Kingdom of Prussia, but it is more likely to provoke conflicts between France and Austria.

Once the Rhineland falls into the hands of this new country, Austria will definitely not accept the idea of ​​the French here in the future. If the British work harder, the two sides will fight.

If the Prussian government refuses to change the land, then the situation will change, and it may not be Austria, but the Kingdom of Prussia that will go up.

This is just his intuitive guess, and his reason tells him that it is not reliable.Thanks to the prestige of Napoleon the Great, as long as the French expand abroad, they will arouse strong reactions from everyone. Napoleon III would not be so unwise.

……

While the Prussians were hesitating, Metternich also had a headache.Many states in the German region are waiting for Austria's reply.

Theoretically, the German Confederation has not yet been disbanded, and the governments of all states are waiting for Austria to express its position on whether to dissolve the Bundestag.

The proposal of the British to divide Germany into three parts was not kept secret, and it is now almost known to everyone.For these state governments, their interests are naturally more secure when they form a new country.

But everyone is an old fritter, and will not show any surprise expressions at this time. Instead, their faces are gloomy, as if they are all against the dissolution of the German Confederation.

Facing a bunch of acting school, Metternich just felt overwhelmed.Knowing that they were putting on a show, Metternich had to cooperate with them.

If you don't do enough of the show, how can you explain it to the people in China?

The unification of Germany died prematurely, but we tried our best. If you don’t believe me, you can see that we are harassing every day, and it’s not right to visit the dignitaries of various countries, although we can’t see anyone.

No one else could see these people, but Metternich couldn't hide.We can only bite the bullet and receive them. Everyone sighs together, the hardships of German reunification, and then scolds the gang of interfering countries, and then they go back to their respective homes.

In short, here are all supporters of the unification of the German region, and there are absolutely no selfish people, at least it seems that way.

Under such circumstances, Metternich must also visit representatives of various countries every day to try to gain everyone's support.

So far, Austria has gained the understanding and support of Naples, the Papal States, Tuscany and other countries.

Even the attitudes of Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and other countries have changed. Considering the relationship between religious beliefs, everyone recognizes the merger of Austria and the southern German states.

As the saying goes, go all out, then decline, and exhaust three times.The Intervention Coalition, which has not yet been established, has been divided and disintegrated without everyone noticing.

On October 1853, 10, the Paris Conference, which lasted for more than a month, came to an end. Under Metternich's insistence, Austria successfully annexed Bavaria, Saxony, Württemberg, Frankfurt, Hessen-Darmstadt and other regions.

(Bavaria is missing an enclave of Pfalz)

The land area increased by about 11.4 square kilometers, and the population increased by about 950 million, marking the first step on the road to German unification.

Under the principle of unanimity among major powers, the remaining German regional states, except the Kingdom of Prussia, merged into the German Federal Empire and restored the ancient traditional electoral system.

The issue of territory exchange between the Kingdom of Prussia and the Federal Empire of Germany is currently at a stalemate. The Prussian government has too much appetite and has been resisted by many states, especially the state governments of the exchanged areas, which are even more strongly opposed.

If it is only the government that opposes it, then countries can still force it. The problem is that the reaction of the people is more intense.Most of the embassies of the Kingdom of Prussia in Germany were besieged by the people.

This fierce reaction directly shook the determination of the Prussian government to exchange land.Frederick William IV did not want to rule a mob himself, and he had not forgotten the lessons of the Berlin Revolution.

Compared with the stability of the rule, the national strategy can be relied on. Moreover, the development potential of the Rhineland region is really great, and the Prussian government was reluctant to throw it out.

If the benefits are too great, then it is not up to you to exchange them. Obviously, it is impossible now. The German Federal Government only agrees to exchange them in equal areas. Of course, the Prussian government does not agree.

If everyone hadn't taken into account the face of the great powers, perhaps the negotiations would be over now.

After receiving the final resolution of the Paris meeting, Franz was deeply relieved, but of course he did not show his joy.

From the perspective of the outside world, Emperor Franz is now full of anger.In order to protest the unfair treatment of the Paris Conference, he also wrote an essay "Dark Days" very pretendingly.

"Today is the darkest day in my life, the German region was forcibly divided by a gang of shameless robbers and a national thief.

God frowned, and the sun's rays hit the ground, leaving only a few wisps of weak light.

The wind is howling, and the storm is coming. Is the great Germany ready?

Get ready for this wind and rain, for this dark hour.

This is a world of the strong, my people, you must be strong.The strong wind cannot blow us down, and the torrential rain cannot crush us.

The only ones who can knock us down are ourselves!Only by being strong and facing all these bravely, the dark days will always pass, and there will always be a rainbow after the storm.

......"

Before he returned to Vienna, Franz's article was delivered to the German region first. Even if the telegraph fee was astronomical in this era, he was not stingy.

Naturally, public opinion and publicity will seize the opportunity, and Franz is very experienced in this regard.At this time, the people in the German region are probably not in a good mood, and Franz naturally wants to stand with the people.

For future planning, at this time, he must call on everyone to persevere, absolutely not to succumb to reality, the split is only temporary, and the unification of the German region is only a matter of time.

One by one is counted as one. As long as the unified flag does not fall, it is equivalent to opening a back door for the future expansion of Austria.

Influenced by Franz, the Vienna government also canceled the planned celebrations, and the government seemed to be mourning the division of the German region.

Chapter 113 The Birth of a Comedy Empire

After the Paris conference, Franz bid farewell to Nicholas I and left.A luxurious life is always easy to sink, and Franz does not want to test his willpower.

From the perspective of the corrupt life of the top officials of the tsarist government, Franz knew that the Russian Empire was already sick.

Many people are addicted to the glory of the past and cannot extricate themselves. Even the harsh situation of the Near East War has not been able to wake them up.

"Skin ringworm is not enough."