NOVPUBAfter entering the 19th century, the world’s polarization became increasingly severe. "The strong became stronger, and the weak weaker," and the international landscape underwent a tumultuous change.
Old empires seized the opportunity from the Industrial Revolution, preemptively occupying a plethora of resources and began suppressing newcomers for their own interests.
The involvement of the United Kingdom and Austria this time seemed to be aimed at containing the expansion of France, but in reality, it also marked a collision between new and old imperialist nations.
Not every country is like the United States, with rich resources and markets on its homeland. Emerging nations aiming to rise would invariably need to grab sufficient resources and markets, and therein lies the conflict between the old and the new empires.
The Kingdom of Prussia was no weak power, and it would become even stronger if it annexed the Kingdom of Poland. Possessing adequate strength yet not holding commensurate resources, Prussia would inevitably be a challenger to the existing order.
This had nothing to do with whether the government favored peace or not. If they abandoned industrial development, that would be one thing, but once the industry began to grow, raw materials and markets would become the driving forces propelling them to challenge the world order.
In the original timeline, the German Empire rose too quickly. The British overestimated the strength of the French, and by the time they reacted, it was already too late and they had to personally engage in a world war.
By contrast, the rising Americans on the other side of the ocean were much luckier, with abundant natural resources and successfully disguising themselves as the non-threatening "Uncle Sam," thus evading suppression from the old empires.
After a long silence, Foreign Minister Geoffrey Friedman said, "Something’s not right. The Anglo-Austrian conspiracy should have been highly classified, how could we have discovered it so easily?
Keep in mind, this doesn’t just involve us but also entangles the French. Even if the Paris Government is unstable, they wouldn’t allow the Anglo-Austrian countries to scheme against them."
Intelligence that comes too easily is the biggest flaw. Such a secretive plot, those in the know wouldn’t normally exceed ten individuals, all of whom are high-ranking officials of their countries. Under normal circumstances, there would be no possibility of a leak.
Wilhelm I’s eyes lit up with anticipation as he asked, "Are you suggesting that one of the Anglo-Austrian countries intentionally leaked this, indicating that the alliance is not solid but formed out of temporary convenience over mutual interests?"
Geoffrey Friedman shook his head, "No, both the United Kingdom and Austria indeed want to take away the Rhineland region from us, but there might have been disagreements on how to hand it over to the German Federation Empire.
The German Federation Empire was a mess, with the Kingdom of Hanover, which led the Central Government, limited in its power to integrate the country’s strength.
The Kingdom of Hanover only encompasses forty percent of the country’s area, and neither its population nor its economic output reaches a third of the country’s total.
Due to the system in place, the Imperial Parliament, the highest authority of the German Federation Empire, still maintained the traditional one state, one vote method. No matter what the Central Government wanted to do, the Imperial Parliament could easily veto it.
Years have passed and the German Federation remains unchanged. Hanover attempted to integrate the country several times but was vetoed by the Imperial Parliament each time.
The Germany Region has been splintered for hundreds of years, and everyone has grown accustomed to the politics of individual states; changing this situation is nearly impossible.
However, adding the Rhineland region changes the equation. If the Central Government directly governed the Rhineland, the balance of power would shift.
Hanover alone, even if it wanted to overturn the table, wouldn’t be a match for a coalition of sub-states, but with the Rhineland, the Central Government would have an overwhelming advantage.
From the perspective of the Vienna Government, granting the Rhineland to the German Federation Empire is acceptable, but it must join as a sub-state.
Allowing the Kingdom of Hanover to grow was not in Austria’s interest for its Germany unification strategy. This was precisely what the United Kingdom desired the most, and the Anglo-Austrian countries had serious differences from the beginning.
Perhaps the two countries reached an impasse, and the Vienna Government decided to sabotage the British plan, simply leaking the information."
This was close to the actual truth of the matter; now that the news had been leaked, accomplishing the original plan had become impossible.
Not just externally, but within the German Federation Empire itself, there was dissent. The Central Government’s wish to directly govern the Rhineland wouldn’t just be met with financial reluctance from the numerous smaller states but would also be legally vetoed in the Imperial Parliament.
Unless carried out secretly to establish a fait accompli, even the German Federal Government could not settle the internal dispute.
An already loose federation, not much different from the Germany of the Middle Ages, where the local lords held no accountability to the emperor, what could the emperor do?
Given the Kingdom of Hanover’s strength, even if it wished to forcibly unify the German Federation, it lacked the ability to do so. What’s more, with Austria lying in wait, one misstep could cost them everything.
Wilhelm I rubbed his forehead. Now in his seventies, his energy was not as abundant, and this complex international situation was mentally exhaustive.
Now he was in a dilemma, on one hand, he did not wish to see the German Federation Empire grow stronger and increase the Kingdom of Prussia’s defense pressure; on the other, he wanted the German Federation Empire to become powerful and sever Austria’s path to German unification.
At this moment, he felt regretful. If at that time he had taken the risk to split the Germany Region with Austria, the situation now would have been significantly different.
"Alas!"
Wilhelm I sighed, "We don’t have much choice now, and it seems it’s not just the Anglo-Austrian two countries that want to take away the Rhineland region from us.
The Paris Government probably has the same idea; after all, whether the Rhineland region becomes independent, falls into the hands of the German Federation Empire, or merges with Belgium, it’s easier to get their hands on than leaving it with us.
What do you think we should do now that’s more in our interest?"
Prime Minister Maoqi: "First, exclude selling it to the French Empire. If it falls into the hands of the French, the balance will be disrupted.
I’m afraid that then Austria won’t be able to contain the French, and no one knows whether that Napoleon IV is the second Napoleon. Allowing France to grow stronger is too dangerous.
What’s left is either to let the Rhineland region become independent or to sell it to Belgium or the German Federation Empire in exchange for a sum of money.
The latter also involves choosing sides in the Anglo-Austrian conflict, another decision of allegiance. From the current situation, it’s too dangerous for us to side with great powers; it’s in our best interest to sell it to Belgium in exchange for a sum of money. Right now, the most important thing is to annex Poland, then assimilate it, in preparation for war with the Russians."
That’s right, "the interest of the moment," looking at the long-term development, definitely keeping the Rhineland region aligns best with Prussian interests.
However, this is impossible; the old empires aren’t stupid. Unless they give up the annexation of Poland, the players of balance, the Anglo-Austrian two countries, will certainly not rest.
In the long run, even if we let the Rhineland region become independent and secretly control it, it’s still in the best interest of Prussia, compared to selling it off.
In the short term, it’s different. The Berlin Government is so poor that even if it could secretly control the Rhineland region, that would be something for the future. Right now, it’s better to resolve the financial crisis first.
Selling to the German Federation means we must choose sides. Now, the Berlin Government owes a buttload of debt to the British, and if we have to choose sides, it has to be with the British.
It’s a clear-cut choice now, but it spells trouble with Austria for future Prusso-Russian warfare.
According to the plan, the Berlin Government intended to ally with Austria to completely break down the Russian Empire. Without settling the score with the Russians, Prussia will never be at peace.
Army Minister Roon: "It’s not that simple. Don’t forget about the French. If the Paris Government risks sending troops to occupy the Rhineland region, what then shall we do?
I don’t believe Austria will fight the French over the Rhineland region. If they were keen to act, they’d have done so when France annexed Italy.
I think the Vienna Government’s strategy isn’t to unify the Germany Region. Austria’s territory is already large enough, and they have a sufficient population; they lack nothing.
Judging by the Vienna Government’s actions, this seems more like a political slogan to them. Austria has already occupied most of the Balkan Peninsula, and now they’re attacking the Ottoman Empire.
If they successfully occupy the Asia Minor Peninsula, the entire eastern Mediterranean coast will be their territory, almost like a second Byzantine Empire."
Rebuilding the Byzantine Empire is an ambition no smaller than unifying the Germany Region. Austria isn’t aggressively campaigning to rebuild Byzantium, but their territorial expansion leads everyone to make that association.
Wilhelm I interrupted, "What Austria wants to do is beyond our power to stop. If they truly have such grand ambitions, it could be a good thing for us.
To resurrect the Byzantine Empire, the ones with the biggest conflict of interest would be the Russians and the French. Judging by the Vienna Government’s laissez-faire attitude towards French annexation of the Italian Area, their next target should likely be Russia.
Until the collapse of the Russian Empire, we all could cooperate. However, the Habsburg family’s greatest skill is diplomacy, not military.
Franz is among the best of them. After taking the throne, Austria’s continual expansion through diplomatic means; I don’t believe they’ll suddenly become so aggressive. This might well be a smokescreen they’ve deliberately released."
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While the Berlin Government was indecisive, the Paris Government was bustling with activity. Factional infighting continually disrupted the government; the Republicans, Orleans Faction, and Orthodox Faction, suppressed by Napoleon III, were becoming active again.
Napoleon IV lacked enough prestige to suppress the political forces, and he had to balance among the factions according to the plan left by Napoleon III.
The throne was secure, but factional strife became intense. Unfortunately, party strife entered government work, and opposition for the sake of opposition became common.
The French Empire, feared by all, was unable to make a decision, which caused Napoleon IV a lot of headaches.
If not for his father’s instructions, he would’ve made a unilateral decision already. It was fortunate he held back; otherwise, he’d quickly find out just how low bureaucrats could go.
