Ever since Prime Minister Felix's visit to Germany, the topic of unification had been hyped up by the media. It was as if they would be eliminated from the world if they didn't talk about this topic for a day.
Especially after Felix's failed trip to Bavaria, the impact was even greater. The German nationalists were naturally disappointed.
Whether they agreed with the Shinra Empire or not, they had to admit that this was the most likely plan to unify the German Region.
When the Bavarian government's unification plan appeared, it was immediately disseminated to all parts of Germany and caused a sensation.
Austria was naturally disdainful. A tripartite system also relied on strength. Although the Kingdom of Prussia was only a medium-sized country, their military strength had reached the level of a great power, and they barely qualified.
But what about Bavaria? How could they obtain the same status? Did they rely on representing the many small countries? Who agreed?
If their strength was close to Prussia's, then there was no doubt that a tripartite system was inevitable. Austria didn't need to move west. They just had to run The Balkans.
The Kingdom of Prussia didn't buy it either. They wouldn't get any benefits from a tripartite system. Whether it was the plan for Lesser Germany or the plan for Northern and Southern Germany, it was more in line with their interests than this plan.
The two large countries were only dissatisfied and laughed it off. At most, the newspapers would mock the Bavarian government for overestimating itself.
The small countries in the German Region were in an uproar. They were represented just like that. Did they agree?
Guided by the newspapers, public opinion exploded in an instant. All kinds of haters appeared. It seemed that they wouldn't feel comfortable if they didn't scold Bavaria.
The Rheinische Zeitung directly published an article titled "Bavaria's Ambition". It also published the Bavarian government's strategic plan to annex the German states. The steps were so detailed that it seemed real.
Real or fake, no one cared. Anyway, everyone thought it was real. Otherwise, with so many countries in the German Region, how could it be the cabinet of three countries?
If they couldn't annex these countries, how could they represent them in the Empire?
It didn't take long for someone to dig out Bavaria's collusion with Britain, France, and Russia in an attempt to kick Austria and Prussia out of Germany.
This was true because Britain and France did make this proposal, and the Bavarian government was willing to accept it. However, before it could start, it was strangled in the cradle by the joint efforts of Austria and Prussia.
Even the Bavarian government had secretly supported this theory. But the influence was too small. It couldn't even be considered mainstream in the Kingdom of Bavaria.
Now that the media had dug it out, they were naturally spouting nonsense. How could a newspaper that did not engage in artistic processing have the cheek to call themselves news reporters?
Franz admitted that he had paid for it. Without the money from the Austrian government, there were so many newspapers in the German region, and it would have been impossible to publish such a neat Black Bavaria.
Of course, the Bavarian government must have made a mistake in their decision. They had placed too much importance on the support of the great powers.
This was a common problem of small countries. They had to act according to the wishes of the big powers, and it was inevitable that they would be affected over time.
Everyone was ambitious. Maximilian II Of Macedon was no exception. Playing a balancing act between Austria and Prussia would get tiresome after a long time.
With Britain, France, and Russia's encouragement, this ambition couldn't be suppressed. In theory, Bavaria's plan had a chance of success. If history hadn't changed, the plan to divide Germany into three could have become a reality.
However, the difficulty of this diplomatic operation was relatively high. The Kingdom of Bavaria also needed to have at least 200,000 elite troops.
As long as they successfully ambushed the Kingdom of Prussia after defeating Austria in Prussia, then Bavaria's strategy would be a success. This success rate was a little scary.
Britain, France, and Russia would support them anyway. As long as they won this round, it would be a victory. The strategy of a small country relied on gambling. How could they counterattack if they didn't dare to gamble?
Now, the success rate was even lower. Austria didn't start the path of squandering. Their overall strength was at least two Bavaria's. They couldn't compare at all.
Regardless of whether there was a chance, they had to have a dream. Just like how Franz wanted to unify the entire German Region?
Because it was impossible, they had no choice but to settle for the next best thing and implement the South German plan. Instantly, the difficulty dropped to a manageable level.
Even the implementation of South Germany's strategy had to be broken down. The first step was to take down Bavaria. Once this was achieved, everything else would be useless.
As a result, Bavaria's distribution strategy had appeared, and it had even appeared in the newspapers.
The first step was to create an excuse to join forces with Prussia, Britain, France, and Russia to kick Austria out of the German Confederation.
The second step was to join forces with Britain, France, and Russia to kick Prussia out of the German Confederation.
The third step …
No matter how lousy these plans were, everyone was still angry. Wasn't the Bavarian government's plan insulting everyone's intelligence?
Even Maximilian II Of Macedon was angry. He swore to God that such a stupid plan had nothing to do with him.
Of course, it didn't matter to the Bavarian government. Even if they had such thoughts, everyone could only dream about it. Who would dare to let these contents appear on paper?
And even if it was a plot, shouldn't it be a little more reliable? The first step was to borrow the strength of a great power to force Austria out of the competition.
The people of Prussia were sure to want to see Austria leave. The problem was that everyone knew that Britain and France PK Hairy Bear was really angry. Why would Bavaria let them join forces?
At least there had to be a common interest, right? For example, Austria had incurred public anger and was boycotted by everyone. But it hadn't happened yet, right?
Could it be that Bavaria and Prussia could force Austria to leave? The Austrians would probably fly into a rage when this plan was proposed.
Would anyone believe in such a stupid plan? The answer was: Yes, and a lot of them.
At least Franz believed it. The Government of Austria also believed it. On April 11, 1853, the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a diplomatic note to the Bavarian government, warning them not to play with fire.
Public opinion was in an uproar, but most people supported it. After all, Austria only used diplomatic words to warn them, and many small German states thought it was a good way to vent their anger.
If it was a real fight, it would be different. Many people's views would change again. This reason wasn't enough.
Franz was a good-tempered Emperor, and he would not send an army out of anger. But he added another note to the pretext of war.
After the warning, the Bavarian government immediately clarified that the above situation was slander, and they had absolutely no plans to divide Germany.
After the little episode, the third wave of public opinion ended, and the fourth wave began.
In May, the new hot topic in the German Region became "how to unify the German Region."
This topic was very sensitive. The governments of various countries kept their mouths shut, but the people were talking about it. The most disappointed was the Shinra party. They were the first to be eliminated.
The Bavarian government acted as the scapegoat and became the target of everyone's anger. Of course, in the eyes of Maximilian II Of Macedon, it was worth it. Although he was scolded a lot, he got the benefits.
Britain, France, and Russia all publicly issued diplomatic statements, attacking the rebuilding of Shinra as a destabilizing factor that would destroy the balance of Europe, and warning Austria not to play with fire.
Then, Franz didn't bother to look at them. He just threw the notes into a corner and was done.
The Bavarian government was highly praised by the great powers. If it wasn't for the conflict between Britain, France, and Russia, they would have personally helped Bavaria achieve its strategic goals.
Maximilian II Of Macedon probably didn't believe this. It was enough to just listen to the diplomatic rhetoric. This was just the great powers cheering them on. If they really believed it, they should be prepared to cry!
On the surface, the Kingdom of Bavaria had the upper hand in this political game. Austria had just threatened them, and they were immediately warned by the great powers.
Comparing all the plans together, everyone helplessly realized that the first to be eliminated was actually the most likely to succeed. The opportunity for the middle schoolers to show off was here.
"When the door to peace is closed, then force will be the only choice, and Germany will be unified."
After this slogan was shouted, it quickly spread throughout the German Region. The middle schoolers didn't know what it meant, so they followed and shouted.
Many people were instantly frightened, especially the governments of many small countries. They were most worried about the unification of Germany by force.
The rebuilding of Shinra would still protect everyone's interests. Once the country was unified by force, there was no doubt that they would be the one to be unified.
The unification of the country was completed through bloodshed. Naturally, they had to get rid of the reactionaries who destroyed the country's unity. The smell of fire in the German Region was getting stronger.
The time that Franz had been waiting for had arrived. The foundation of the people was already there, and the blood of the people was ignited. Everyone had no choice but to accept the reality of the unification of Germany by force.
This time couldn't be dragged on. The passion of the people couldn't continue. By the time they calmed down, everything would be too late.
The voices of the hardliners within the Government of Austria began to rise. On June 1st, 1853, Prime Minister Felix gave an iron curtain speech at the National Assembly in Vienna.
"After our efforts over the past few days, the plan to use peaceful means to unify Germany ended in failure due to the collusion of national and foreign traitors.
However, Germany will be unified in the end. This is the mission that history has given us.
At this time, perhaps we should change to achieve the unification of the country.
Since the birth of the great Germany, it has been filled with iron and blood. Now we have no other choice.
Since someone forced us to take this step, then we will use iron and blood to clean up this rotten world and forge a new glory for this empire!
… … "
Everyone knew that the situation in Austria had changed. The pro-peace prime minister had become a pro-war, and Austria's national policy had undergone a major change.
In the following days, the senior officials of Austria gave similar speeches, and the Government of Austria had all become pro-war.
In short, we love peace, but we love Germany even more. For the unification of Germany, we will not hesitate to go to war.
These public statements instantly caused an uproar in the German Region. Many people suddenly reacted. Was war coming?
They didn't have to wait for long. On June 5th, 1853, Franz issued a letter to the German people.
"Peace is dead, and there is only one road left for the unification of Germany, and that is war.
History has given me a responsibility, and I can't escape it because of my deep love for this land and this country.
In order to avoid the division of the German Region, we must obliterate any possibility of splitting Germany.
Now, under God's witness, I have decided to kill the national traitor, eliminate a corrupt regime that colluded with foreign traitors and attempted to split the German Region.
… … "
Regardless of whether people believed it or not, Franz firmly believed that the Bavarian government colluded with Britain, France, and Russia in an attempt to split Germany.
The letter to the German people was a declaration of war. At the same time that Franz issued the declaration, the Government of Austria had already submitted a letter of war to Bavaria.
The cover of the letter was impressively: Kill the national traitor.
The Bavarian government, who hadn't reacted yet, was dumbfounded. The change in attitude of the Government of Austria was too fast.
One had to know that not long ago, the Great Powers had collectively warned Austria that under normal circumstances, they would not use force under such circumstances.
Maximilian II Of Macedon didn't have the time to investigate why. He decisively ordered, "Immediately ask for help from Britain, France, and Russia, and ask them to intervene. Immediately mobilize the entire country, and at the same time, ask for help from the German Region, and ask them to immediately send troops to support."
Prime Minister August added, "Your Majesty, we must immediately clarify the charges that the Government of Austria has pinned on us. We must never admit to it, or we will be finished."
The military issue was still manageable. Even if they lost the war, with the intervention of the Great Powers, they still had a chance to retain their power. If they failed politically, even if the Austrians were driven away, they would have nothing to do with it.
Foreign Minister Backhaus exclaimed, "Oh no, the Austrians planned this. We have fallen into their trap!"
Maximilian asked anxiously, "What's going on? Speak! "
Foreign Minister Backhaus's face darkened, and he said with a bitter smile, "Your Majesty, public opinion is very unfavorable to us. A series of things happened before, and they have tied us together with Britain, France, and Russia.
I am afraid that in the eyes of many German people, we are traitors who collude with foreign enemies. Even if we explain, it is impossible to reverse this situation in a short period of time.
Austria's influence in Bavaria is very large. If the people believe that we are traitors, then I am afraid … "
Before he could finish, everyone knew that they were in trouble. At this time, if Britain, France, and Russia jumped out to intervene, it would prove that the Bavarian government was colluding with them. If they did not intervene, Austria could swallow Bavaria.
This was a dilemma. No matter what choice they made, there were pitfalls ahead. It was nothing more than a question of which one to jump into.
Maximilian II Of Macedon said fiercely, "We can't care so much. Let's get through this first.
The Austrians most likely saw that Britain, France, and Russia were fighting fiercely and could not work together to interfere with their actions, so they took the risk out of desperation.
But they do not know that we have an agreement with Britain, France, and Russia. They will definitely intervene.
A unified German Empire is too terrifying. This is something that no power in Europe can tolerate.
If Austria makes a move now, it is equivalent to being out of the game. We must take this opportunity to kick them out of Germany! "
