NOVPUBAustrian Embassy, a staff member around thirty years old reported: "Envoy Excellency, this is the latest intelligence we have gathered.
It’s noteworthy that while the Marquis of McLennan was visiting, the Permanent Under-Secretary from the UK Foreign Office, Crowe, also entered the French Embassy at the same time.
The two held a secret meeting, and no one knows the specifics of their conversation. Our initial judgment is that their discussion should be related to the Near Eastern War; there’s a fifty percent chance it involved the issue of German unification."
Coaxing Austria to check France, while also leveraging France to check Austria, using the tripartite alliance of England, France, and Austria to maintain stability on the European Continent and solidify their position as the world’s supreme power—that is British diplomacy.
Hummel wasn’t the least bit surprised by the British contact with the French. The British wanted to preserve the Ottoman Empire as a thorn, and the Vienna Government also aimed to shear the wool from this decaying empire over time.
If the Ottoman Empire were to be killed off in one fell swoop, Austria wouldn’t be able to swallow the piece. Europe’s nations would parcel it out together, which would not only destroy the fraud strategy implemented by the Vienna Government but would also allow England and France into their backyard.
"Uniting the Germany Region" is fine as a slogan, but to actually do it would mean defeat. As a senior member of the government, Hummel was very aware that the Vienna Government wasn’t prepared to unify the Germany Region.
Hummel nodded, "Leave the document here; I’ll take the time to read it. For now, keep an eye on the British—I always feel like things are not that simple."
Everything was proceeding too smoothly, so smoothly that Hummel didn’t need to do anything to achieve the desired outcome.
If it were anything else, one could start celebrating in advance. But in the deceitful realm of international diplomacy, it’s precisely in such times that one must be most vigilant.
No one can guarantee that this isn’t a smokescreen set off by a competitor. The Anglo-Austrian countries only reached a verbal agreement, which holds no binding force, making it too easy to renege on.
…
Inside the Downing Street Prime Minister’s Office, the high-level members of the British Cabinet were gathered.
Prime Minister Gelson: "How is the plan progressing? Have both France and Austria taken the bait yet?"
Foreign Minister McLin: "Things are moving along very smoothly. Both France and Austria are highly vigilant of each other. As long as we control the timing and proceed step by step according to plan, without giving them a chance to make secret deals, the overall situation will be settled.
Compared to France and Austria, I am more concerned about the German Federation Empire. There are too many states in the Germany Region, and Austria’s influence there is too significant, local nationalism has already been awakened.
I worry that even with our support behind the scenes, they may not follow our plan. If they don’t hold firm, our investment will be for naught.
Keep in mind that to this day, Hanover has not truly taken control of this country. Their Imperial Parliament still operates on the traditional system of one vote per Sub-State, which is quite troubling."
"One vote per Sub-State" is a precondition for the establishment of the German Federation Empire; otherwise, why would the numerous German Confederation states mix with Hanover?
Behind the voting rights is Austria’s handiwork. Crafting this political structure was intended from the start to prevent the integration of the German Federation.
The effects have been quite good so far. After so many years, the German Federation Empire is still that "Comedic Empire," always quarreling at the first sign of trouble.
One might think such political frameworks would impede national development, but the reality is quite the opposite; the local economy is thriving.
These states enjoy high autonomy, allowing them to craft flexible economic policies without the need for a central government led by Hanover to intervene.
Economic foundations determine the political structure. Influenced by geopolitics, culture, and foreign diplomacy among other factors, the numerous German regional states inevitably tie their economies to Austria.
Not every small state harbors ambitions; for many, it suffices to develop the economy. After all, no matter who is in charge, it will never be their turn to lead; as long as it’s one of their own, they can accept it.
Many village-level states have even dispensed with their military. To them, maintaining an army makes no difference.
Dueling has gone out of fashion these days; raising armies in the tens or hundreds of thousands surpasses their total populations, and they wouldn’t stand a chance against an invading enemy, so it’s more reliable to align with a stronger power to guarantee their security.
According to the British plan, the German Federation Empire will later sever ties with Austria and become a truly independent nation, free of Austrian influence.
The highest authority in the German Federation Empire is the Imperial Parliament, where under the basic system of one vote per Sub-State, these insignificant states, if united, can veto any decision of the central government.
McLean’s concerns were justified; if the Federation of German Imperial Assembly started to object, it would be rather embarrassing.
Prime Minister Gelson frowned, "This is indeed a problem, but it could be left to the German Federal Government to handle on their own."
"If they can’t convince the Sub-States, the Emperor could simply order the closure of the Imperial Parliament. This may lead to some minor chaos, but I believe they can overcome it."
"After the Federation has annexed the Rhineland region, their strength will have a qualitative breakthrough. Their total economy and industrial output could rank among the top five in Europe."
"If Austria were to annex the Federation, then it really would dominate the European Continent, which is something no European nation wants to see."
"Now, driving a further wedge between the Federation and Austria, completely severing the possibility of German unification, has become an irresistible trend. Even if the Vienna Government is enraged, they are powerless against the collective will of the European countries."
The Federation already represented the most economically prosperous region in Germany, and with the Rhineland region, they were even more formidable.
Opening the map, one could see that the essence of the Original time-space German Second Empire was here; purely in terms of industry and economy, it was equivalent to half the strength of the German Second Empire at the same period in the original time-space.
The scale is already significant, surpassing Spain in total economic volume, with a per-capita income even higher than that of France and Austria now.
The only weakness was the multitude of regional states within it, which dispersed national power, especially diminishing military strength. Otherwise, the Federation could have joined the ranks of the great powers.
If we were to calculate the total domestic economy alone, France and Austria now have both surpassed Britannia, and Austria is now the world’s largest economic body.
The economic structure determines the superstructure; when the scale is huge enough, it is not impossible to simultaneously develop naval and land powers.
Once Austria swallows the Federation of German Imperial Assembly, it will have the strength to develop both naval and land powers, which is a serious threat to Britannia’s hegemony.
Finance Minister Laruoke Lloyd, "It seems we have overlooked something; merely changing the name of a country might not achieve the goal."
"Do not forget, the Federation of German Empire was already an independent nation, completely unrelated to the Shinra Empire the Austrians are meddling with, yet the Vienna Government still waves the flag of German region unification and the people of the German region still buy it."
"The nationalism that the French contrived is now flourishing in the German region, unconstrained by former rules of the game."
"If we cannot get the public to sever ties, merely changing the name of the country may have very limited effects and might even further stimulate nationalism."
Legally speaking, Austria and the Federation have nothing to do with each other. The people within the Federation of German Imperial Assembly should not be falling for Austria’s rhetoric.
Unfortunately, nationalism has changed the situation. Nationalists insist that the German region is a single entity; they acknowledge the New Roman Empire as the successor to the already defunct Shinra Empire’s legal tradition, rather than recognizing the current German Federation Empire."
This makes things complicated. True, the Federation of the German Empire is independent, but Austria still has a popular base for unifying the German region.
The British aim to have the Federation of German Imperial Assembly change its name is actually to politically sever ties further and lay the groundwork for diluting the theory of German unification.
Foreign Minister McLean shook his head, "The cultural traditions of Germany and Austria are inherited from the same lineage, making it very hard to separate the two among the public."
"Even the nations that had earlier broken away from the Shinra Empire, like the Netherlands, only did well in de-Teutonizing, essentially completing their separation from the German culture."
"Belgium and Switzerland are both deeply influenced by German culture, but they have parted ways with Austria, and they are not part of the Vienna Government’s German unification strategy."
"The Kingdom of Prussia is doing quite well too. In not so many years, they should be able to free themselves from the influence of the idea of German unification."
"However, the Federation of German Imperial Assembly, due to internal issues, lacks a strong central government, hence the delay in taking action."
"Now, we must give them a nudge, for if we hesitate, we might wake up one day to find the German region unified."
...
