The Government of Vienna's indulgence undoubtedly encouraged the arrogance of the North German nationalists. Although the state governments did not express their stance, the voices of the people continued to grow.
To ensure the smooth implementation of the plan, Emperor George I also privately declared that the establishment of the North German Empire was a key step in the process of German unification.
On the surface, there seemed to be no problem. From a three-legged tripod to two, it was indeed a step closer to unifying Germany.
However, after thinking about it carefully, there was a big problem. If Depp's merger was the North German Empire, then the new Holy Roman Empire that Franz created would become the South German Empire.
As for who would unify who in the future, it would need to be discussed.
George I wanted North Germany to unify South Germany?
Well, no normal person would believe this if he said it out loud.
If it was the Commonwealth of Poland and Germany at its peak, there might be a chance. The premise of this chance was that Austria would be collectively besieged by the European countries.
Now that things had come to this point, the last sliver of hope was gone. The severely weakened Kingdom of Prussia's overall national strength was not comparable to Bavaria. Together with the Comedy Empire, it was at most equivalent to the strength of a few states within Shinra.
Lacking strength and a lot of internal problems, the military alone was not clear. The military of each state existed independently, and the central government had no command.
If this was the case, it would be fine. More importantly, most of the states, including Hanover, had a joint defense treaty with Austria.
It was mainly aimed at the French, but also at the Russians. According to the treaty, when foreign enemies invaded, a coalition would be formed with Austria as the core.
This was Metternich's contribution. The international environment at that time was completely different from now. Everyone was only worried about the threat of France and Russia. At that time, Austria was still harmless, so they happily boarded the ship.
Now, this treaty had become a double-edged sword. While it protected the security of the German Confederation, it also restricted the central government's power to gather the states' military.
The Government of Vienna could pull everyone together for joint exercises, but the central government of Germany couldn't. They didn't have this power, and the state governments didn't have the cooperation.
In order to unify the domestic military and political issues, George I negotiated with the state governments many times, but to no avail.
In the absence of external threats, no one was willing to give up the power in their hands. The inconspicuous joint defense treaty had become one of the legal foundations for each state to have an independent army.
After so many failures, George I was in despair. Just as he was about to give up, the Englishman gave him new hope.
The establishment of the North German Empire was another round of political shuffling. Their original biggest competitor, the Kingdom of Prussia, had been affected by the war and lost the right to compete for the leadership of the Empire.
Due to financial reasons, the Government of Berlin had to make a series of concessions in exchange for financial assistance from the central government.
That included the command of the army. There was nothing wrong with that. The Government of Berlin was not going to have an army.
It wasn't that William the First didn't want an army. The problem was that he really couldn't afford it now. The Government of Berlin couldn't even afford the pension at this time.
Exchanging an army that they didn't have the ability to support in the first place in exchange for financial aid was not a bad deal.
Unlike Austria, Hanover's size was limited. If the two countries' armies were merged, the Juncker nobles with rich combat experience could easily occupy an advantageous position.
This was also William the First's appeasement to the military. Through the exchange of interests, the pension could be paid normally. Losing part of the power was more acceptable than letting everyone go back to farming. It could be said that everyone was taking what they needed.
The concessions were not only on the military, but also on the financial side. The Government of Berlin proposed that as long as Hanover was willing to take over the debt, the Kingdom of Prussia's revenue could be handed over to the central government for unified distribution.
Without a doubt, such an unreasonable request was rejected by George the First in a righteous manner. What a joke! Was he someone who coveted the state's revenue? He absolutely couldn't accept it!
Unlike the financial and military generosity, when it came to territory, the Government of Berlin became stingy, and the two sides couldn't reach an agreement for a long time.
… …
In the Hanover palace, George I angrily threw away the documents in his hands and cursed, "Damn Prussia barbarians, do they really think we are the same as them, a bunch of simple-minded boors!
They only want to take benefits, but they are not willing to pay the price. How can there be such a good thing in the world?
They only think about schemes all day long, treating others as fools, and not thinking about the Germans at all.
It seems that they have been with the Poles for too long, and they have forgotten their identity and thrown away our fine traditions.
… … "
Although he didn't know why George I could associate the "simple-minded" with the "schemes" behind it, Prime Minister Philip still cooperated and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. The cruel reality will wake the Prussia barbarians up.
Now they are still immersed in the glory of the past and haven't figured out their situation. After the Vienna Peace Conference, they will know what to choose. "
Frankly speaking, George I's scolding was not wrong. The Government of Berlin seemed to have made a major concession, but in fact, it was an exchange of interests.
If they wanted to take away the financial power, they must bear the debts they left behind; if they wanted to take away the military command, they must pay them compensation for the casualties.
Debts must not be touched. If George I really dared to take it in the name of the central government, the Reich Parliament wouldn't mind vetoing it and changing the emperor at the same time.
The army could still be discussed. The Government of Berlin had already paid a lot of compensation, and the remaining part would need to be paid in installments every year.
In terms of soldiers' compensation, no country in the world dared to say that it could do better than the Kingdom of Prussia.
No matter how tight the finances were, William I never paid attention to it. Even if there were occasional arrears, they were quickly made up.
Pensions also occupied an important share of the Government of Berlin's huge military expenditure.
George I's expression softened a little. "I hope so! We can't make any concessions on this issue.
Although I don't know what price the Kingdom of Prussia will have to pay at the Vienna Conference, it will definitely be able to keep the traditional territory of the German Region.
The rest of the territory is also far larger than Hanover. If we don't weaken the Kingdom of Prussia, even if we establish the North German Empire, we won't be able to maintain our dominance.
Taking over the two duchies of Schleswig and Holstein and the territory west of the Elbe River is our minimum requirement, and it is also the foundation for us to be able to suppress Prussia in the future.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to do the work of the Government of London. The plan was proposed by them, and now we need their support. "
The two duchies of Schleswig and Holstein and Prussia's territory west of the Elbe River had actually exceeded the Kingdom of Hanover in terms of land area.
Of course, the Kingdom of Hanover's economy was more prosperous, and its population was larger. Everyone's culture and traditions were the same, and they could still swallow this fat piece of meat.
Even because they were separated from the Kingdom of Prussia, they could avoid the huge post-war debt and did not need to bear high taxes, and the local people would feel lucky.
After digesting this fat piece of meat, coupled with the Rhineland region controlled by the Imperial Parliament, the central government after the merger would have the power to suppress the Kingdom of Prussia, and have an absolute advantage over the other states.
In this context, as long as the Kingdom of Prussia made concessions on military and political issues, the other small states would not be able to hold on for long.
The rest could only rely on time to grind. In theory, in another 20 to 30 years, the North German Empire could basically be integrated through political means and step into the ranks of the Great Powers.
If this pie in the sky was not too tempting, George the First could not help but be tempted. Who would be willing to be someone's lackey if they could set up their own house?
Although the probability of failure was somewhat high, compared to joining the Shinra Empire, the latter was obviously riskier.
There was no other way. When Austria unified the German Region, it would be the time when the European war broke out. With the whole world as his enemy, George the First had no confidence in Austria.
Rather than leaving his fate to others, it was better to be his own master.
Since he dared to jump out so early to participate in the game between Britain and Austria, George the First had naturally prepared a way out. Now that he was standing with the British, it was because he could obtain greater benefits with the British.
It did not matter if he failed. The special system of the Shinra Empire determined that as long as he did not play too hard, the Government of Vienna would not kill him.
If he succeeded, he would establish the foundation of the empire. If he failed, he could just give up the throne, but the Hanoverian throne could always be preserved.
As long as there was no confrontation on the battlefield, Austria had no reason to depose him from the throne. The most serious consequence was that he would abdicate and his descendants would continue to be king.
A low-risk, high-return business was always fascinating.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The Foreign Affairs Minister replied.
"Your Majesty, although our financial income is not low, our expenses are also very high. There is not much money that can be used to buy land.
When negotiating, we must control the transaction price and not exceed the market price too much. "The Minister of Finance, Gomez Falias, reminded.
"Market price." In fact, the current situation was that there was a market but no price. Not only now, it should be said that this was the case most of the time. Colonial transactions did not count. If it was not necessary, few European countries were willing to sell their territory.
These days, the valuation of land was not high. However, as long as it was a territory in the European region, regardless of the value, the price would not be cheap.
The price of international territory transactions could only be used as a reference. The specific price had to be determined according to the needs of both parties, taking into account various factors.
The Russians sold Alaska, which had an area of more than a million square kilometers, for only a few million DND. However, the Kingdom of Prussia sold the Rhineland region, which was only tens of thousands of square kilometers, for more than a hundred million DND.
There was a similar case of the Prussian Saxony territory transaction. Even during times of war, it could be sold for tens of millions of DND.
George I waved his hand. "Money is not a problem. The British are very happy to accept this business. The Kingdom of Prussia owes them a huge debt that could turn into a bad debt at any time. The bankers have long been anxious.
Now, the thing that the people of Prussia lack the most is money. They may make concessions in other areas, but the problem of "money" is the only thing that cannot be discussed.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will do its best. As long as the final transaction price does not exceed the previous Rhineland region, we can accept it. "
One had to admit that George I's judgment was very accurate when it came to grasping people's hearts.
The British were really worried that the Government of Berlin was finished. The loan that they had given out had turned into a bad debt. At this time, Hanover was willing to come forward, even if there was no collateral, they would still dare to lend.
To put it bluntly, this was a problem of the left hand going to the right hand. Hanover took a loan to buy land. The Government of Berlin got the money and had to return it to the British.
In essence, John did not need to take out a single cent. A simple transfer from his account completed two transactions. At the same time, he reduced his business risks.
Hanover's financial situation was good. The government had almost no debt. Lending money to them was definitely more reliable than lending money to Prussia, which could go bankrupt at any time.
The worse the financial situation, the more the government valued money. For the current Government of Berlin, money was no longer just money. It was also their life.
Without enough money, the next thing they know they're going to collapse.
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