Holy Roman Empire

Since the Tsarist government thought so, Franz naturally had no obligation to remind them.A good ally is an ally who is obsessed with past glory.

On the way back, Franz has turned into a literary youth and started the road of literary creation.The creation of "Emperor's Poems" and "Emperor's Prose Collection", which will have far-reaching influence in the future, began at this time.

In this regard Franz is still very virtuous, at least he did not find someone to bring a pen.So the output is naturally not high. From St. Petersburg to Vienna, a total of two limericks were born, and it is really embarrassing to show them to others.

……

The country is unfortunate, but the poet is fortunate.

Affected by the forced division of Germany by the Paris Conference, the literary creation in Germany during this period showed a flourishing situation.

A large number of literati and writers emerged in this period, such as: Arthur Schopenhauer, Gebel, Paul Heyser, Freiligrath, Herweg, Werth, Fontana, F. Greer Patzer, Franz Greer Patzer, Adalbert Steift...

It can be said that in just a few months in the second half of 1853, more literary works emerged in Germany than in the past five years combined.

Criticism became the mainstream of literary creation during this period, and the nascent German Federal Empire was sprayed with blood. Of course, the Prussian government could not escape the pen and ink of the literati, and even the Austrian government was not immune.

Facts have proved that putting on a show is very effective. Compared with the previous two, the Austrian government has received much less criticism. After all, it is the land of hope for German reunification, so everyone is merciful.

The new German Federal Empire is a tragedy. Everyone does not recognize that it is an empire. The main reason for naming it an empire is that there are kingdoms in the following states.

The central government could not be at the same level as the local government, so it was artificially upgraded to an empire by the Paris Conference. Obviously, this "need empire" is unpopular.

……

Bremen

A middle-aged man said angrily: "Korbes, read the newspaper, the biggest comedy empire in the world is about to be born, and we will be a member of this comedy empire soon.

God, when did we agree to join this empire, how could I not know?This is simply too bad!

I can't imagine that someone will ask me which country I am from in the future, and then I tell him: I belong to the comedy empire. The consequences of this are terrible! "

The birth of the German Federal Empire was originally a farce, which was ridiculed by Werth as a "comedy empire", and then everyone called it that.

Could a "big empire" with a population of less than [-] million and a territory of no more than [-] square kilometers be a comedy?

Although the comedy empire is a comedy, its comprehensive national strength is actually not weak. It is only under the major European powers, and its economic strength is comparable to that of the Kingdom of Prussia.

But this is not enough to make him a real empire. If it becomes the Federal Kingdom of Germany, no one will raise any objections.

The middle-aged man with beards took the newspaper and glanced at it, and then said calmly: "Fitra, is it worth your fuss about such a little shit?

The Paris Conference, something that was unanimously decided by European countries, do you still expect the government to dare to refuse?

Why are you afraid of jokes?Even if the German region is divided into three, we still have two empires and one kingdom, which is unmatched by any country in the world! "

It can be seen that Corbes' expression has betrayed his heart, he is not as relaxed as he said, but he deliberately suppressed his anger to prevent it from erupting.

In terms of comprehensive national strength, the unified German region is the number one in the world, even the British cannot compare.

Obviously this is impossible. European countries are not fools. Who can tolerate a Central European giant?

After the results of the Paris Conference came out, the nationalists in the German region fell silent, and the blow that reality brought to them was unimaginable.

Although everyone knows that European countries will oppose the unification of the German region, the joint pressure of so many countries has exceeded their estimates.

Sadness is greater than death. Many people are desperate and become indifferent to politics. Corbes is one of them.

However, this kind of indifference is just an appearance. When he learned that the German Federal Empire was really established, he still couldn't help but sneer.

Fetra gave Corbes a hard look, and then said with a sneer: "Enough, you coward, shut up. As long as the Germans are not dead, the German region will be unified one day."

Both of them have passed the age of the second year of middle school. After the German region was forcibly divided, they did not go to the streets to demonstrate like young students.

As the newspaper said, even if all the people in the German region came out to demonstrate together, the enemy would not be able to see them, and they could only stay in their nests.

Oh, this may be what the capitalists said, after all, it affected their business.

Ever since various countries jointly intervened in the process of German unification, the business community has been wailing.The South German region is okay, the market in Austria is not small, and there are two markets in Italy and Russia.

The capitalists in the north felt a deep sense of malice. After losing the market in South Germany, they will face competition from British products in the future. This is simply driving them to a dead end.

The Prussian business community also felt this way. Since Austria accelerated its industrialization process, a large part of their market has been robbed, and everyone's life is not very easy.

Now it is even more ruthless, the market in the north will be impacted by British goods, and the market in the south has trade barriers.

Affected by the market, since the Kingdom of Prussia carried out reforms in 1848, the economy of the Kingdom of Prussia has not improved significantly, but has continued to deteriorate.

This is not because capitalists do not work hard, but because reality forces them out.Historically, when the Kingdom of Prussia carried out reforms, it also reduced military expenditures, suppressing military expenditures to less than 25%, and investing the funds in national construction.

Now, affected by the international situation, Prussia's military spending has risen instead of falling to guard against Russia and Austria.In this context, let alone investing in domestic construction, the government is thankful for not extorting money.

Facing the increasingly severe economic situation, Frederick William IV had a headache, but unfortunately he was not suitable for economic development. If it was the development of armaments, he might have a better say.

Looking at the all-military cabinet, it is difficult to develop the economy. "Reform" came to Frederick William IV's mind again.

……

Vienna

Franz, who has just returned to China, will face three problems.

First, the resettlement of the Bavarian royal family;

Second, the issue of country names;

Third, the governance of the newly added territories.

Since he returned to the Palace of Vienna, his mother, Empress Dowager Sophie, had been hanging around in front of him from time to time, and raised the issue of marriage from time to time.

Although he didn't directly mention the matter of the Bavarian royal family, the meaning is already obvious. Anyway, he must give an explanation?

Now that they are under house arrest, what do they say? Where does this make the empress dowager face?

Even the two little lolis would come over and pester him from time to time, as if if you don't give an explanation, we'll cry for you.

Well, this matter was done unjustly by Franz. He agreed to change the throne for them, and it has been delayed until now, but this issue has not been implemented.

……

In order to get rid of the days of being harassed, at the state meeting, Franz said helplessly: "Everyone, you can let go of other questions first, and find a good place for the Bavarian royal family first?"

Prime Minister Felix thought for a while and said: "Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Bavaria still has a province of Palatinate, which was also lost to the German Federation this time. Simply restore the status of the Principality of Palatinate and let the royal family of Bavaria succeed the Grand Duke in the past."

Metternich objected: "It's not right, we promised to guarantee the throne of the Bavarian royal family, and now we have to appease the people, and repentance is likely to cause accidents."

Prime Minister Felix shook his head and said: "I don't want to go back on my word, the problem is that they should inherit the throne of Serbia, but the Bavarian royal family did not agree.

Maximilian II is now confident and wants a rich land to continue to be king. How is this possible? "

Metternich asked rhetorically: "Serbia is a barren land, and it is worse than the Kingdom of Greece. The investment of the Bavarian royal family for the Greek throne has not been recovered for so many years. How could they accept the Serbian throne?"

Serbia is not a good place now. Affected by the war, the local population has dropped to less than 70, and most of them are old, weak, sick and disabled. Young men between the ages of 16 and 40 have been drawn out by the Ottomans.

The economy is completely dependent on agricultural production. It can be said that this nominal kingdom is actually not as good as a province of Bavaria.

If you become the king of Serbia, it is estimated that for a long time in the future, the financial revenue here will not be able to make ends meet.

Maximilian II's ambitions have been wiped out, and he doesn't want to suffer from this again.

……

Looking at the controversies, Franz proposed: "What if we split the Kingdom of Lombardy Venetia, restore the Kingdom of Lombardy and let Maximilian II succeed in the past?"

Minister of Finance Karl objected: "Your Majesty, the Lombardy region is economically developed and accounts for nearly one-tenth of our fiscal revenue. If we let this region become independent, we will suffer a great loss."

Franz shook his head and said: "It's not to make this place independent, but to fool Maximilian II into taking the throne first, and give the Bavarian people an explanation.

Then the central government passed the constitution to obtain the local personnel appointment and removal rights and financial power, and let him receive annuities in peace. "

Independent country?Dream it!As an outsider, without the support of Austria, how could Maximilian II rule the local area?

Expecting that the Italians would support him as king, Franz did not believe that Maximilian II had such a charismatic personality that he could still be in such a poor state.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Karl thought for a while and said: "If the Lombardy region is not allowed to be independent, and only Maximilian II is supported, then it will not be a big problem."

One hundred and eight million dong is really not worth mentioning.For the long-term stability of Bavaria, this money must be spent.

Metternich said worriedly: "Your Majesty, if Maximilian II becomes the king of Lombardy, countries such as Britain and France may instigate local independence in the future."

independent?Frankly speaking, Franz never cared that the Italian regions would become independent.In terms of development potential, it is impossible for the local area to become the core of Austria.

Now there are more than 600 million Italians in the Austrian Empire, which is a very high proportion of the population.Nationalism in the Italian region has awakened, and it is also a huge challenge to rule these people for a long time.

Now the Austrian government will not give up Lombardy Venetia, the main reason is - interests, that's why the government spends a lot of money on local assimilation.

If the cost of ruling had outweighed the benefits, Franz would have made them independent long ago.After all, resources are scarce in these areas, and local industrial products are gradually losing their competitiveness.

Before the start of the westward strategy, the Austrian government had prepared for the worst, at the cost of abandoning the Kingdom of Lombardy Venetia, in exchange for everyone's recognition of Austria's annexation of South Germany.

Unexpectedly, Britain and France launched the Battle of the Crimea Peninsula, which made them unable to send troops to intervene in a short period of time, and these areas were preserved.

Franz shook his head and said: "Even without this king, our enemies have not forgotten to plan local independence.

According to our plan, by changing wheat to mulberry, it won't be long before the local food will be completely dependent on Austria.

With the passage of time, the local textile industry will rise in the future. If they leave Austria, where will they find a market? "

If the Italian region is to be kept in peace for a long time, the Austrian government has also conducted research, and the answer is: food control and economic dependence.

Chapter 114 The New Holy Roman Empire

Vienna Palace

Empress Dowager Sophie breathed a sigh of relief after learning that Franz took out the Lombard king's throne and traded with the Wittelsbach dynasty. This result can be explained to most family members.

The relationship between European nobles is intricate, and it affects the whole body.If the Austrian government is determined to force a Serbian crown to the Wittelsbach dynasty, Empress Dowager Sophie will have no face to go home to meet people.

You must know that when the war broke out, Franz made a promise to the Bavarian royal family, and Empress Dowager Sophie was also pulled out as a guarantee.

Munich can be won by negotiation. On the one hand, it is really impossible to win, and on the other hand, everyone's interests are guaranteed. Naturally, no one will die with Austria.

If it weren't for the royal family's choice to give up, with the Wittelsbach family's century-old management, it wouldn't even be impossible to fight the defense of Munich.

The duke of the Principality of Pulfatz can only be regarded as a leader. This is the place where the Bavarian royal family ruled. Even if Austria did not support them, most of the final titles belonged to them.

The foundation of the great aristocracy has been preserved. Lombardy is definitely not as good as Bavaria politically, but the Bavarian royal family has not suffered economically.

Even if the most important rights are taken away by the central government, it is impossible to really turn the king into a rubber stamp, at least it is not allowed under the Austrian system.

Being emptied is only temporary, and as long as the king has a little ability, he can get back most of his rights. As emperor Franz, it is impossible to tolerate bureaucratic arrogance.

Otherwise, if you can empty the king today, these people will dare to empty the emperor tomorrow.

Suspicion is an emperor's instinct, and things that violate taboos must be resolutely suppressed, and the bureaucrats must not be left with the slightest chance.

The Munich palace, the Bavarian royal family has begun to move, they are no longer welcome here.Neither the people nor the bureaucrats want him to stay.

In everyone's opinion, exchanging the throne between the Bavarian royal family and Austria is the best choice, so that everyone can get along happily.

People who declared neutrality in the war no longer have to worry about being settled by Qiu Hou.The royal family has a good place to go, and they can also pledge their allegiance to the Habsburg Dynasty with peace of mind.

Looking at the slowly closing palace gate, Maximilian II sighed. The Wittelsbach dynasty’s rule over the Kingdom of Bavaria was over, and he would be Maximilian I of the Kingdom of Lombardy soon. .

As if under a curse, the Wittelsbach dynasty ruled many places, but basically they didn't stay long, and the Kingdom of Bavaria was just one of them.

The Wittelsbach dynasty still has some family background. Even if they left, there were still many people following them. Soon, a team of thousands of people gathered and marched towards Milan, the capital of the Lombard Kingdom, under the escort of the royal guard.

This is also the reason why the Austrian government is unwilling to use force. The deep-rooted royal family is not so easy to deal with. It is so good now that they left on their own initiative.

If the face is torn and these people start to destroy, it is estimated that Bavaria will not be peaceful for three to five years.

……

Paris

Napoleon III smashed countless vases angrily. The reason was very simple. There was a problem with his marriage, and most of the royal families in Europe looked down on him as an upstart.

Not long ago, his plan to marry Princess Carola of the abdicated royal family of Sweden was rejected, and now he proposed marriage to Princess Adelheide of Hohenlohe Langenburg, but was rejected again.

Not only him, but even the famous Napoleon had worried about this problem. The big nobles looked down on them upstarts, but the European continent is a world that depends on blood.

If the blood is not noble enough, the legitimacy of the rule will be questioned.If one's own blood is not noble enough, it can be made up for by marriage.

Napoleon III was deeply touched. He was just Napoleon's nephew, and the domestic people did not recognize him very much. He urgently needed a political marriage to stabilize his position.

Since 1851, he has been troubled by this problem.There has been no result until now, the big nobles look down on him, and he looks down on the little nobles.

Don't blame him for being angry, he is the emperor of France anyway, even if the princess of the direct line can't get married, the princess of the collateral line can always be married, right?In the end, not to mention the real princess, even the princess who abdicated from the royal family looked down on him.

Being rejected over and over again, it's no wonder he can bear this kind of thing.

Perhaps after venting, Napoleon III asked coldly: "Any other candidates?"

The palace minister said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the status of the candidates behind is a bit low, not worthy of your status!"