Interests were always the main theme between countries. While Franz was plotting against the Russians, the Tsarist government was also plotting against Austria.
This kind of plotting had nothing to do with the alliance. Everyone was doing it within the scope of the rules. Before the interests outweighed the conflicts, the alliance between the two sides was still reliable.
After the establishment of the Russo-Austrian Alliance, the Tsarist government relaxed its suppression on Prussia.
Obviously, after the Government of Austria exposed its ambitions on South Germany, the Tsarist government was worried that Austria would unify the entire German Region and threaten their European hegemony. So, they were prepared to let the Prussia counterbalance Austria.
The most obvious manifestation was that the diplomatic pressure exerted by Russia on the Kingdom of Prussia was not as strong as before.
To some extent, Franz had unintentionally helped the Prussia. Of course, this kind of help was not enough for the Russians to let the Kingdom of Prussia annex Schleswig and Holstein.
The Russians did not want to give up on Denmark. The Tsarist government needed a stable Northern Europe. The expansion of the Kingdom of Prussia had broken the balance in Northern Europe.
The Tsarist government was in a dilemma. The best choice was to let the Kingdom of Prussia develop toward the center of Germany and delay the time for Austria to unify the South German States.
However, they could not let the Kingdom of Prussia unify the German Region. This was not in line with the strategy of the Russians. In the eyes of the Tsarist government, Austria as an ally was the best choice.
It had a certain amount of power, but it did not have the power to threaten Russia. The most important thing was that the House of Habsburg was already very old. It was very difficult for any old empire to have a new life.
In contrast, the rising young empire was more frightening. Youth meant that it was still in the ascendant period and had unlimited possibilities in the future. Unfortunately, the Kingdom of Prussia was a kingdom with the potential to become a young empire.
The people of Russia were in a dilemma. On one hand, they wanted the Kingdom of Prussia to keep Austria in check. On the other hand, they were worried that Prussia would be roped in by Britain and France, and they would stab Russia or Austria in the back.
In Nicholas I Of Russia's opinion, the best choice was to rope in the Kingdom of Prussia and return to the era of the three courts in the north, or the Alliance of the Three Emperors.
It was easier said than done.
At the end of the day, it was all about interests. The Russians couldn't sacrifice the interests of the Danes yet, as it would disappoint their allies.
In that case, it would be difficult for Prussia and Austria to work together to divide up the German Region. It was obvious that it would be difficult for North Germany to feed the people of Prussia.
If Prussia extended its hand to the German Region, not to mention Austria, even Nicholas I Of Russia would not be able to tolerate it. He would not tolerate the birth of a German Empire.
What was more serious was that after Prussia divided up the German Region, the Kingdom of Prussia would really grow. If the two joined forces, they would be able to block Prussia's way to the west.
In the future, after the Alliance of the Three Emperors defeated the enemy, Prussia and Austria would join forces to fight against Russia. It was not a good feeling to cultivate enemies.
Saint Petersburg
In order to solve this troublesome problem, Nicholas I Of Russia called for an Imperial Conference.
The Prime Minister was the first to speak. "Your Majesty, either we try our best to rope in the Kingdom of Prussia and continue the Berlin Convention, or we join forces to suppress the Kingdom of Prussia so that they have no ability to cause us trouble!"
Everyone knew this multiple-choice question. It was very simple to suppress the Kingdom of Prussia. As long as they joined forces with Austria to beat them up, it was guaranteed that Prussia would not be able to recover for ten or twenty years.
But the problem was that after defeating Prussia, Austria's goal might not be to annex South Germany, but to unify the entire German Region.
If suppressing them was not feasible, then they would change to roping in Prussia. There was a price to pay for roping in, and this price was not something the Russians would pay. Asking them to cut their own flesh was equivalent to asking for their lives.
Foreign Affairs Minister Carr Vosselrode analyzed, "Your Majesty, the appetite of the people of Prussia is very big. Now, there are two ideas of unification in the German Region. One is for Austria to unify the German Region to form a Greater German Empire, and the other is for Prussia to unify all the German states except for Austria to form a Lesser Germany.
The latter was created by the people of Prussia. Their goal is very clear, which is to unify Germany. Now, they have started the war with Denmark to work hard for this goal.
If we are willing to support Prussia in unifying the German Region, they will definitely join the alliance, but Austria will certainly not agree. Who knows, before our strategy even starts, Prussia and Austria will start fighting first. "
Nicholas I Of Russia frowned and asked, "Why is the North German State not enough to feed the people of Prussia?"
The people of Russia pursued power above all else, and the more power one had, the more benefits one could share. Now, the Kingdom of Prussia was at the bottom of the list of great powers, or rather, it was only a quasi-great power.
Later generations had a high evaluation of the Kingdom of Prussia, but that was because they unified Germany and established the powerful Second German Empire, which raised their status.
It did not mean that a medium-sized country with a population of 13 million now had the strength to stand shoulder to shoulder with the major powers.
"Your Majesty, we can try to use North Germany to rope in the people of Prussia. If that doesn't work, we can lure them to expand into the Low Countries," Foreign Affairs Minister Carr Vosselrode suggested.
The 19th century was an era of expansion, and every country wanted to expand their strength. In this era, not expanding was equivalent to committing slow suicide.
Many countries in later generations had survived from this era, but in fact, many people had ignored the risks they had experienced.
Small countries like the Netherlands and Luxembourg were not worth mentioning. Even a big country like Spain had been beaten all the way.
Prussia and Austria were geographically located countries. If they did not expand and strengthen their strength, whether it was the westward expansion of Russia or the eastward expansion of France, it would be a tragedy.
It was not impossible to develop farming, but the speed of development was too slow. Without enough markets and industrial raw materials, twenty or thirty years of hard work could not compare to the results of two or three years of others.
"No, it's already dangerous to let the people of Prussia annex the North German State. If they were to get Belgium and the Netherlands, it would be another France, "the Prime Minister objected agitatedly.
"Your Excellency, our westward expansion has been blocked. Even if the Kingdom of Prussia grows, it is impossible to counterattack Russia. As long as we provoke the conflict between Prussia and Austria, the western front will be stable. Fully developing the Mediterranean Sea is our national policy, "Carr Vosselrode explained.
…
Russia's internal strife reduced the diplomatic pressure on Prussia, giving the people of Prussia the illusion that as long as they defeated the Danes, Russia would compromise.
Affected by this, the army of Prussia quickly defeated the Danes at the frontline. On April 9, 1849, the army of Prussia entered the Jutland Peninsula again.
This time, in order to force the Kingdom of Denmark to compromise, the Prussians killed everything in their way. Before April had even passed, half of the Jutland Peninsula had fallen into the enemy's hands.
If the Danes had not had the foresight to build their capital on Sealand Island, and the weak navy of Prussia, it was estimated that the army of Prussia would have gone straight to the enemy's base.
If they could not withstand it, they would look for the boss. Nicholas I Of Russia was also angered by the actions of the people of Prussia.
Do you have to look for the owner before beating the dog? He had already asked them to stop time and time again, but they still dared to continue with military operations. They did not take him seriously at all.
After thinking that their dignity had been challenged, the people of Russia immediately took action.
On May 7, 1849, two Russian infantry divisions landed on the Jutland Peninsula and blocked the advance of the army of Prussia.
It was impossible to fight. Frederick William IV Of Denmark was terrified. The news from St. Peter's Castle showed that the tolerance of the people of Russia had reached the limit.
It was easy to start a war, but it was difficult to end it. Although Frederick William IV Of Denmark had suppressed the revolutionary party in the country, Prussia was still not his alone.
It was not a good thing for the army at the frontline to fight too smoothly. Now that the people's attention had shifted to the Prussian War, no one remembered that they had suppressed the revolution.
However, the aftereffects of nationalism had also come. The people could not tolerate failure, especially when they had already won on the battlefield, and the government had to make concessions.
They could stop the war, but they could not give up the two duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. This was a matter of principle. Whoever dared to give in would be a traitor.
It was not only Austria that helped the people of Prussia. All the states in the German Region had contributed, including the state of North Germany that was inclined to the people of Prussia.
It could be said that the entire German Region was supporting Prussia in spirit. If spirit could be turned into real support, then Frederick William IV Of Denmark would not have to be afraid.
"Your Majesty, the ambassador of Prussia in Vienna asked us for help. After the Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused, they proposed to collect war funds in Austria.
According to the information we received, the people of Prussia have already started to collect money in the country. Now they have set their sights on the entire German Region. Their finances should not be able to hold on any longer, "Metternich said with a smile.
Collect money for the military? This was a brilliant plan that Franz had come up with for the Government of Prussia. It was not easy to take the people's money.
If they took the money and failed in the end, the enthusiasm of these people when they donated would be as great as the resentment in the future.
"In that case, we should cooperate with them. The government will send people to help them collect money and let them create momentum in the German Region. The actual amount of money collected will be increased a little.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will represent the Government of Austria to donate 10 million guilders to Prussia to support their military campaign to recover the two duchies of Schleswig and Holstein for the German Confederation.
However, there is no need to rush to give them the money. Just find a random reason to delay it. If it really cannot be delayed, then use financial difficulties as an excuse to pay in installments, "Franz said after some thought.
Donation fraud. In the 21st century, there were still people who dared to play this game. Franz naturally did not mind following suit.
No, this could not be counted as donation fraud. It was not like he was not really giving the money.
As long as the people of Prussia could bring these two German duchies back into the arms of the German Confederation, the Government of Austria would give the money.
If the people of Prussia could not withstand the pressure and gave up on the Schleswig and Holstein duchies that they had already obtained, they naturally did not need to give the money.
At the same time, they would also mobilize the people of the German states to protest in front of the entrance of the embassy of Prussia and ask them to return the hard-earned money.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Metternich replied.
He did not know how happy the representative of Prussia would be when he heard the news. Would he die from excitement?
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