The British proposal caused an uproar in the upper echelons of the German Confederation government. After purchasing the Rhineland region, it made up for the shortcomings of the heavy industry, and the overall national strength of the "comedy empire" grew by leaps and bounds.
Unfortunately, the German Federal Empire was not a unified country after all. The problem of the federal states working together to fight against the central government could not be resolved.
The Kingdom of Hanover did not have an overwhelming advantage, and George I was not a great strategist, so the problem was put aside.
(Note: George I of the German Federal Empire, George V of the Kingdom of Hanover)
Unable to complete internal integration, the German Federal Empire's strength naturally lagged far behind the Pubo Federation. Personally, George I had no interest in the British plan to swallow an elephant.
A bunch of small countries in the country could already make him feel bad. What would happen if the Pubo Federation came along?
In this day and age, those with power had the right to speak. Once the Pubo Confederation joined the German Confederation, it would immediately become the most influential confederation in the Empire, and Hanover's position would inevitably be impacted.
George the First: "Do you think the British's proposal is feasible?"
It was clear that he was hesitating. The Comedy Empire had to rely on the power of the British to fight against Austria and protect their independent status. It was obviously not advisable to directly reject the British.
The risk of accepting the Pubo Confederation was too great. Even if Queen Victoria promised, King George didn't trust her.
Prime Minister Torben Hoffman: "Your Majesty, the British's proposal seems very tempting, but it's actually very dangerous. One wrong move and we'll become the target of public criticism.
Internationally, the Fao and the other countries don't want to see us merge with the Pu Bo Federation. If we act rashly, they will definitely be dissatisfied, and there might even be armed intervention.
Many of the states in the country had their own plans. Participating in this war would not benefit them at all, and the Empire's parliament would not approve it.
In such a complicated situation, if we bypass the Empire's parliament and forcefully accept the Pubo Federation, the empire might fall into a state of division.
Apart from these risks, the Pu Bo Federation itself was even more troublesome. They're too big, and we don't have the ability or the ability to digest the Pu Bo Federation.
With their advantage in numbers, it's only a matter of time before they take over. This isn't something that can be solved with a guarantee, unless we can break up the Pu Bo Federation. "
Foreign Secretary Steve Lee: "The risk is high, but it's still an opportunity. Once we miss it, it will be difficult for us to make further progress.
Everyone knew the situation in Europe. The war between Prussia and Russia was just a small episode. In the future, it was bound to be a three-country game between the UK, Fao, and Germany.
Other countries can choose to be neutral, but we can't. Austria's ambitions had never been hidden. What was even more infuriating was that many people in the country had been fooled by nationalism and wished they could join Austria immediately.
The only way to get out of this crisis was to strengthen the Empire. Only when the Empire is strong can we prove that nationalism is wrong and dispel their unrealistic fantasies. "
Torben Hoffman shook his head. "Li, you're still too idealistic.
I admit that annexing the Pu Bo Federation is indeed tempting. Frankly speaking, I'm tempted, but the problem is that we can't do it.
Even if the British can convince the French and restrain Austria, and we successfully convince all the states in the country to agree, the possibility of annexing the Commonwealth is less than 10%.
Don't overlook the difference in strength. The Pu Bo Federation might seem miserable now, but their population is twice ours, and their territory is five times ours.
After the two countries merged, it was obvious who would be annexing who.
Moreover, the cruelty of the Prussian war was also an urgent practical problem. If we accept the Pu Bo Federation, we have to help them win this war.
After the war, we have to take out a large sum of money to pay off their debts and help them rebuild after the war. Our gains are only the illusory dream of being a great power.
If we really have to pay such a high price to obtain the status of a great power, we might as well cooperate with the Austrians. At least we don't need our young men to go to war, and we don't need the government to tighten their belts. "
The speaker didn't mean it, but the listener did.
Deep in his heart, George I had already planted the seed of suspicion. "Suspicion" was the instinct of an emperor, and it wasn't a derogatory term here.
Although he was suspicious, on the surface, George I was still calm and didn't seem to care.
Foreign Minister Steve Li said, "Prime Minister, you're right. We really don't have the ability to annex the Pu Bo Federation, and the price we have to pay for participating in this war is indeed very high.
But this isn't important. The Pu Bo Federation has never been a part of the German state. What do we need them for?
We only need to absorb the Duchy of Brandenburg, the Duchy of Schleswig, and the Duchy of Holstein. The other territories in the non- German Region can be completely abandoned.
Now we don't need to do too much. We just need to stall for time and wait for the Russians to win this war before we make a move.
The UK, Fao, and the other three countries won't let the Russians annex the Pu Bo Federation. When they interfere, we will take the opportunity to take back the territory of the German Region. Not only will we gain the support of the UK, but the Fao's reaction will also be less intense. "
Steve Li's proposal was obviously much more feasible than the British plan. After giving up the Pu Bo Federation and only absorbing the German state, the Comedy Empire didn't have to worry about being choked to death, and the risk they had to bear was also much lower.
If you looked at the history books, you would know that the Kingdom of Prussia was formed by the merger of the Duchy of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Prussia.
The Duchy of Brandenburg was one of the German princes, and the Duchy of Prussia was formerly the Teutonic Knights. Because most of the nobles in the country were Germans, they were gradually assimilated.
No matter how they assimilated, in a narrow sense, the Duchy of Prussia did not belong to the German Region, so it was reasonable to kick it out.
George I was tempted. Although the territory of these three German states was not large, it was the most important area of the Pu Bo Federation.
If he could get it, both the strength of the country and his personal prestige would be further improved. Moreover, he didn't need to bear the risk of a war with the Russians.
If the Tsarist government was still not satisfied with the recovery of Poland and Lithuania, and the annexation of the Duchy of Prussia, the UK, Fao, and the other three countries would explode.
George I really couldn't think of a reason to refuse. He could pick a fat fruit without paying much.
After thinking for a while, George I said happily, "Li, your plan is great. You will definitely become a great diplomat, just like Prince Metternich.
I will leave this matter to you. Tell the British that we agree with their plan, but the details need to be negotiated.
You have a lot of work to do next. Not only do you have to delay the time until the end of the Prussian war, but you also have to get the support of the UK, Fao, and the other three countries after the war.
Do you have a plan? "
It was not difficult to delay the time, and it was easy to find an excuse. The Imperial Parliament was the biggest scapegoat. If it didn't work out, they could "leak the news" and use the Austrians to terminate the plan.
The trouble was that after the war, the UK, Fao, and the other three countries were not doing charity. It was impossible to get them to work for free. There was a price to be paid.
After hesitating for a moment, Li replied, "This requires the cooperation of the Russians. The more greedy the Tsarist government is, the more likely we are to succeed.
If the Russians stop after recovering the lost land and leave a complete Kingdom of Prussia, we naturally have no chance.
But this is impossible. The Tsarist government has paid such a big price for this war. Without the spoils of war, how can they make up for the losses?
As far as I know, the Tsarist government has mortgaged a large amount of territory to Austria. The Tsarist government is having a hard time paying back the money. After the war, they are likely to use the land of the German Region of the Prussian and Polish Federation to pay off the debt.
This is not what the British and French want to see. If Austria gets these territories, they will have the upper hand in terms of strategy. No one can stop them from unifying the German Region.
On this issue, the European countries will support the British and French. The Russians just want to pay off the debt. They don't want to see Austria unify the German Region.
This is our chance. In order to prevent Austria from unifying the German Region, it is also a good choice to strengthen our strength.
Of course, this is not enough. In order to gain everyone's support, it is necessary to exchange interests. For example, we can sign a coal supply contract with the French. "
The value of each piece of land was also different. The same piece of land had a different value to different countries.
Steve Lee predicted that after the Russians win the war, they will use the German Region's territory to pay off the debt. The main reason is that this part of the territory has political significance to Austria and can be sold for a high price.
After all, after taking over the German Region's territory, the only road left to unify Germany is the "Comedy Empire." Public opinion will form a general trend of unification.
Once the idea of unification is deeply rooted in people's hearts, it can no longer be stopped. For Austria, the "general trend of unification" is not something that can be measured by money alone.
In contrast, the Russian lands in the The Balkans, Poland, and Ukraine have no political significance. They are dispensable to Austria. It is already good enough that the Government of Vienna doesn't lower the price.
From the standpoint of the German Federal Empire, if they want to maintain their current independent status, they must interrupt the general trend of Austria's unification.
To achieve this, they must annex the Prussian German Region and form the political structure of North and South Germany to calm people's hearts.
This is also the reason why Steve Lee is confident in gaining the support of the European countries. Austria is already strong enough. If they let them unify the German Region, they will be the proper overlord of Europe.
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