Ever since the 12 countries intervened in the unification of Germany, the entire German Region had sunk into a low ebb. It was as if the sky had fallen. Even the most radical nationalists had given up hope for the unification of the German Region.
In order to appease the people, the Government of Austria still put up placards in the areas under their control. It showed that the Government of Vienna was still making the final diplomatic effort to unify the German Region as much as possible. At the same time, it also slandered the Kingdom of Prussia for being a traitor.
However, it didn't help the situation. Other than scolding the Government of Prussia, everyone could only wait for the final judgment of the Paris talks.
Inside the University of Munich.
A young student said angrily, "We can't wait like this. We have to do something!"
A young man beside him quickly grabbed his right arm and comforted him, "Bayer, don't do anything stupid. At this time, we can only rely on the Government of Vienna to mediate. Prime Minister Felix has gone to London and Mr. Metternich has gone to Paris.
It is said that His Majesty Franz has also visited St. Peter's Castle. The Government of Austria is doing its best to unify the German Region.
What can you do now? Other than causing trouble, can you make these countries change their stance? "
Bayer swung his arm and broke free from his comrade's hand. "Schwaer, I can't take it anymore. Even if we can't do anything, we can still organize a demonstration and let them see our determination to unify!"
"Hmph!"
Bayer snorted coldly and said, "Don't be stupid, Bayer. Even if it's like what the newspapers say, even if all the people in the German Region come out to protest, it won't be of any use.
The Government of London can't see it, the Government of Paris can't see it, the Government of Saint Petersburg can't see it, and all the governments in Europe can't see it.
The most important thing for us now is to make Germany stronger to the point where they don't dare to interfere with our internal affairs. Only then can the German Region be unified.
Right now, even the most powerful country in the German Region, Austria, can't muster up the courage to fight in the face of Europe's interference!
Apart from disrupting social order, protests and marches can't increase the strength of the country at all. Apart from delaying the progress of our development, they have no practical meaning. "
They all hated the fact that the German Region was not strong enough. Even if all the states joined forces, they would not be able to face the collective pressure of the Great Powers.
Bayer cursed, "It's all because of those Prussia barbarians. If they weren't the traitors, we wouldn't be in such a passive situation.
Britain, France, and Russia are at war, and this is the best chance for the German Region to unify. In the end, those bastards actually sided with Britain, France, and Russia and betrayed the interests of the German Region! "
Ever since Austria occupied this place, the Kingdom of Prussia had become part of their daily propaganda. Especially after the Kingdom of Prussia appeared on the list of countries involved in the intervention, they could no longer be whitewashed.
Now that everyone was feeling uncomfortable, they naturally had to scold them. Since ancient times, traitors had always been more hateful than enemies.
When they made this decision, the Government of Prussia should have been prepared to be scolded. In any case, they had no intention of attacking South Germany now, so it didn't matter whether they had the support of the people or not.
There was no need to explain at all, because there was no way to explain it. They couldn't say that if the Kingdom of Prussia didn't join the intervention alliance, the remaining states of North Germany would merge into one country again, and they wouldn't get any benefits at all.
As for joining forces with Austria to unify the German Region? Frederick William IV Of Denmark was not stupid. Playing politics with the House of Habsburg would be asking for humiliation.
The Hohenzollern family was best at military force. If they were capable, they could bring an army to train. Frederick William IV Of Denmark could proudly say that in terms of leading troops to war, they were hundreds of streets ahead of Franz.
It had to be admitted that sometimes heredity still played a role. The Hohenzollern family had produced many famous generals, and all the kings of Prussia were good at fighting.
Because they weren't good at political struggles, after the outbreak of World War I, William II was quickly made a figurehead by his subordinates, and the House of Habsburg was played to death by the heirs.
Even the last emperor, who was a fake emperor, had almost saved the empire. It was just that Wilson's "14 points" had stimulated the outbreak of nationalism, which killed the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
This could be seen now. Ever since the Kingdom of Prussia joined the intervention alliance, there had been a storm in the country, and the nationalist dissatisfaction with the Government of Prussia had reached its peak.
If it were Franz, he would rather choose to send troops to divide up the German Region with Austria. After that, he would have to pretend to merge with Austria and wait for the great powers to pressure him before splitting up.
He would take this opportunity to swallow up North Germany under the banner of unification. When he offended the British, he could also make Austria take the blame together with him.
Anyway, this would happen sooner or later. If the Kingdom of Prussia wanted to go further, it was necessary to swallow up North Germany, and Hanover would not be able to escape.
However, Hanover was different. For the British, in addition to benefits, as the home of the queen, it also represented the face of the British Empire. Now that John Bull had started to become arrogant, how could he tolerate being slapped in the face?
In that case, it would be good to pull someone to share the pressure. What a wonderful excuse for the unification of Germany.
By doing so, although external pressure would increase, it could gain the support of the people internally, making the rule more stable. For the country, the pros and cons were still uncertain, but for the king, it was the best choice.
Napoleon Iii was an expert in this area. In order to consolidate his throne, he did not hesitate to fight with the Russians in the Near East.
From the perspective of national interests, the French only needed to hold on to Constantinople. There was no need to continue fighting on the Crimean Peninsula, but the French still sent troops.
In history, after winning a few battles on the Crimean Peninsula, Napoleon Iii decisively negotiated peace with the Russians after he obtained his personal political benefits.
…
With a light breeze, Franz poked his head out of the window and enjoyed this beautiful time.
At this moment, he was on his way to St. Peter's Castle. He said that he was visiting the Tsarist government for the unification of the German Region and seeking diplomatic support.
In fact, his visit to Russia at this time had nothing to do with this negotiation. It was purely for political show.
Although he knew that the German Region could not be unified this time, as the Emperor of Austria, Franz still had to do his best to let the people of the German Region see his efforts.
In the middle of July, Franz set off from Vienna. The carriage leisurely headed for St. Peter's Castle. The transportation in Austria was barely passable, and Franz even took a train for a while.
After entering the Russian Empire, he didn't bother to complain. If he didn't have a good body, he would probably fall apart on the way to St. Peter's Castle.
What Franz missed the most was the era of planes and trains. In his later years, it would take two to three hours at most for a plane to travel from Vienna to St. Peter's Castle, and the train would take a day.
However, in this era, walking 1583 kilometers would take months as the unit of measurement.
Fortunately, after crossing Poland, he could travel by sea, which saved a lot of time. Otherwise, he would still be on the way even if the Paris negotiations started.
In fact, to go to St. Peter's Castle, he could also pass through the German Region. Whether it was by boat through the Rhine River or by Elbe River, he could enter the North Sea.
Unfortunately, both routes had to pass through the Kingdom of Prussia. At this time, politics required Austria and Prussia to be angry, so Franz could only go through the Polish region.
It happened to be the flood season of the Vistula River, and navigation was very dangerous. For the sake of his life, Franz decided to travel slowly.
Anyway, it was just this once. Before the railway was completed, he would never visit St. Petersburg again. Such a long journey was simply murder.
When would the railway from St. Peter's Castle to Vienna be opened to traffic? This question would have to be asked to the Russians. With Austria's speed of development, the domestic railway network would almost be complete in 20 years.
As for the Russian Empire, it was impossible to complete the railway network in this century. Perhaps it could be achieved in the next century.
Although the road was a little bumpy, the scenery along the way was very good. It was completely natural. Especially after entering Russia, it was very rare to see factories emitting black smoke.
Occasionally, when they came across areas with beautiful scenery, Franz would stop to admire it. It could be considered a relaxation during the journey.
Now, Franz's convoy moved at a speed of 30 kilometers a day. When it rained, they would stop to rest. It was impossible to travel in the rain. He was a good emperor who sympathized with his subordinates and would not torture them.
In terms of reception, the Tsarist government still paid great attention to etiquette and strictly followed the standard treatment of the emperor. Even when Franz brought a regiment of guards to visit, the Russians did not frown.
On this day, the accompanying representative of Russia, Count Medevis, walked up to the carriage and asked, "Your Majesty, the Vistula River in front is navigable. Do you think we should change to the waterway?"
Change, it had to be changed. Let whoever was willing to sit in the carriage!
Franz casually found an excuse and said, "You make the arrangements. We are in a hurry!"
…
Very soon, Franz regretted it. It turned out that traveling by water in this era was definitely not a pleasure, especially when he was seasick.
It was fine when they were sailing along the river. They often stopped at ports, so Franz did not feel it. It was different after going out to sea. The wind and waves on the sea were completely different from those on the river.
On the first day at sea, Franz relied on his strong physique to survive. On the second day, his face was a little pale, and on the third day, he began to vomit.
As he vomited, the journey was delayed again. Everyone hurriedly docked at the nearest port. At this time, the large group of people had already arrived in Estonia. They were actually not far from St. Peter's Castle.
There was no other way. The emperor's life was precious, and no one dared to be careless. Even the accompanying doctors knew that this was just a normal reaction to seasickness. They stopped to rest for three days and waited for Franz to recover before setting off again.
Naturally, they could only slow down for the rest of the journey. They had to dock at almost every port, and Franz rested on land every night.
After tossing and turning all the way to St. Peter's Castle, Franz had lost a lot of weight.
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