Chapter 681

The war in the Near East suddenly paused, which instantly woke up many people in the Government of Austria. There was nothing to be surprised about. The Great Powers weren't fools. They wouldn't let the unified German Empire come out and compete with them.

This was within Franz's expectations. Unlike the empires that existed in history, the current Austria looked much stronger.

While it deterred the European countries, it was inevitable that everyone would be afraid of it. At this time, diplomatic means were very important. It wasn't wise to blindly act rashly.

Berlin

Metternich proposed to the Government of Prussia to divide up the German Region. There was no doubt that the people of Prussia weren't stupid. It would be difficult for the two sides to reach an agreement.

It was easy for Austria to annex South Germany, but it would be very troublesome for Prussia to annex North Germany. This was a problem of soft power.

The militaristic Prussia was only strong in military strength. In terms of culture, most German countries could despise them.

This was also the reason why the Kingdom of Prussia was easy to be dissed. They had no right to speak in the cultural world, and their culture wasn't recognized by everyone.

Of course, they could also learn from history and use force to force everyone to agree. However, the current government of Frederick William IV Of Denmark was terrified and didn't dare to take this step.

The countries united to stop the unification of Germany, and Austria encountered an unprecedented diplomatic dilemma. If Prussia jumped out at this time, the pressure on Austria would be reduced, but they themselves would suffer.

North Germany was different from South Germany. Most of the countries in South Germany were Austria's little brothers and had been influenced by Austria for a long time. This was also the reason why Franz advocated using political means to unify.

North Germany also had the British's hand. If Prussia wanted to annex these areas, Hanover was a hurdle that couldn't be crossed.

After the incident in Denmark, the Government of Berlin knew that the Great Powers weren't to be trifled with. Even if the British didn't directly attack the city like Russia, it was still very scary if the navy came out to block the door.

Metternich calmly said, "Your Majesty, North Germany is the most prosperous region in Germany. Although the territory is slightly smaller, their economic strength isn't weak at all."

The economic strength of North Germany was indeed not weak. The total amount was more than half of the Kingdom of Prussia. This was the place that Frederick William IV Of Denmark dreamed of.

Frederick William IV shook his head and said, "Prime Minister, although the economy of North Germany is good, it is still not comparable to South Germany. Whether it is the population base or the size of the territory, there is a great disparity.

Considering the complicated situation in North Germany, it is very difficult for the Kingdom of Prussia to annex these states. This is very unfair. Prussia needs Saxony as compensation. "

Obviously, the Prussian government had realized the importance of population at this time.

"East," Germany). King German in Met. Metz. "Met. Once this boundary is crossed, it means disaster! "

Fair? How could that be? Austria paid such a big price to let the Kingdom of Prussia get the same benefits. Did they think that the Government of Vienna was stupid?

…

The Government of Prussia didn't dare to provoke the British, but they wanted to get compensation in the Central German Region. This was obviously not acceptable to Austria. The last negotiation between Prussia and Austria naturally ended in discord.

Metternich's goal had been achieved. The people of Prussia were tempted. They wanted to carve up a piece of the German Region, which meant that they couldn't work closely with Britain and France.

If the German Region was divided into three parts according to the proposal of Britain and France, and all the states except Prussia and Austria were merged into one country, what benefits would the people of Prussia get?

They couldn't destroy their own martial arts just to restrict Austria and Prussia, could they? Once this country was established, the Kingdom of Prussia would lose a lot.

Without South Germany, Austria would still be a European power. Without North Germany, the Kingdom of Prussia wouldn't be able to maintain its current status as a European power.

The complete industrial system would be gone, and the German Customs Union, which was related to the economic lifeline of Prussia, would no longer exist.

A Kingdom of Prussia with a population of thirteen or fourteen million couldn't support an independent economy, even in the 19th century.

North Germany wasn't large, but it had a large population. Once it was annexed, the population of the Kingdom of Prussia would exceed twenty million. This number had already exceeded that of England, and the total economic output would increase by sixty to seventy percent.

The bait was put down. Metternich wasn't afraid that the people of Prussia wouldn't be tempted. In the end, whether the people of Prussia would eat the meat or get into trouble was none of his business.

…

In 1853, Paris still retained part of its medieval look. New forces were surging in the corner of the classical city, and a large number of immigrants were flocking to Paris with dreams of making a living.

The skyrocketing population not only brought about economic development, but also mountains of garbage and feces, and the streets were congested at any time.

A wide ditch divided the road into two, and at the same time, it blocked the roads on both sides of the road. As long as it rained, the road would be covered by a shaky bridge.

The slaughterhouse was located in the center of the city. Blood flowed like a stream onto the road, condensed on the soles, and then dyed the leather shoes crimson.

This was the Paris in Metternich's eyes. He was used to the tidiness of Vienna, and it was hard for him to like the dirty and messy Paris.

The most unacceptable thing was the infanticide that appeared from time to time in the stinky ditch. The cruel society forced the people to be morally bankrupt, and in order to survive, the people at the bottom had to artificially control the birth rate … The peasant family with a lot of children and grandchildren had disappeared here.

This was a bustling international metropolis, a landmark of Europe, and also a sea of sin. This was the Paris of the 19th century.

Palace of Versailles

Metternich and Napoleon Iii had a secret meeting. Interests were always the best catalyst for the relationship between countries. Before the Great Revolution, the relationship between the Fao and France was in the honeymoon period.

After the Great Revolution, the relationship between the Fao and France became better after Napoleon Iii succeeded the throne, but with the outbreak of the Near Eastern War, the relationship between the two countries fell to the freezing point again.

Now the two could talk and laugh together, and it was because of interests. The Fao and France both had common topics to talk about.

There was nothing that couldn't be solved by interests. If interests couldn't solve it, then the interests must not be big enough.

Napoleon Iii was not a saint without desires, so he had great expectations for the arrival of Metternich, which meant interests.

Metternich said directly, "Your Majesty, on the European continent, the Fao and France can cooperate with each other and take what they need.

'Confrontation between the two countries' is needed by the British's continental balance policy, which is not in the interests of our two countries.

I came to Paris this time to have in-depth communication with your country and solve the current dispute between the two countries. "

"What do you need us to do, and what can we get?" Napoleon Iii asked directly.

In fact, the higher the level of negotiation, the simpler it was. Everyone was very busy and didn't have much time to wrangle.

Usually, high-level meetings were very short. To achieve results in a limited time, it was easier to reach a consensus by directly talking about interests.

Metternich said directly, "Your Majesty, Austria hopes to get your country to recognize the new Holy Roman Empire. In return, Austria will support your country's expansion in the Kingdom of Sardinia and Central Europe."

Napoleon Iii thought for a moment and said, "It seems that unifying the German Region is just a pretense. Your real goal is to annex South Germany. Now you have achieved your goal, right?"

Metternich replied seriously, "Yes, Your Majesty! It is too difficult to unify the German Region. No one wants us to succeed, and Austria has no plans to challenge the world. "

Napoleon Iii fell into deep thought. The voice for the unification of the German Region was very loud. Austria had already swallowed South Germany and obviously wouldn't give it up easily.

From the standpoint of France, he naturally didn't want Austria to continue to grow, but it was very difficult to interfere now.

Don't look at the temporary truce in the Near East. Napoleon Iii was very clear that the conflict between Britain, France, and Russia hadn't eased. As long as the Russians didn't give up, they couldn't give in.

Using diplomatic pressure to make Austria retreat? Napoleon Iii could say with certainty, "Stop dreaming." In this era, everyone spoke based on strength. Austria had already shown their muscles. Without the strength to overwhelm them, don't expect them to compromise.

He had to admit that Austria chose a good opportunity. Taking advantage of the fierce battle between Britain, France, and Russia, they took down South Germany in one fell swoop.

Napoleon Iii cautiously said, "Your country has to cede the land west of the Rhine River to France. At the same time, your country must also withdraw from the Regions of Italy.

The new Holy Roman Empire's sphere of influence is limited to the current allied countries and can't continue to expand into the German Region.

In the Near East War, your country can't continue to support the Russians. If your country can do this, we can recognize the legitimacy of the new Holy Roman Empire. "

How could it be possible to agree to Napoleon Iii's request? Paying such a big price to reap South Germany, Austria's efforts were in vain.

Metternich shook her head and said, "Your Majesty, your appetite is too big. This has already exceeded Austria's bottom line.

Other than the new Holy Roman Empire not continuing to expand in the German Region, we can't accept any other conditions.

First of all, there is an alliance between Russia and Austria. We can't abandon our allies. There is no need to talk about this issue.

Secondly, it is impossible to withdraw from the Regions of Italy. At most, we can promise not to continue to expand in the Regions of Italy.

The German land west of the Rhine River can be discussed, but not now. We must consider the feelings of the people.

In fact, we don't have much territory west of the Rhine River, and the value is not very high. It may be better for your country to make up for it in other places. "

After getting Metternich personally admitting the existence of an alliance between Russia and Austria, Napoleon Iii's heart sank to the bottom. This meant that the intervention was no longer possible.

Don't look at how all the European countries came to join in the fun. In fact, most of the countries just wanted to show their presence internationally. If they were really asked to send troops, one or two of them would retreat.

As long as the Russians supported Austria, then the intervention coalition couldn't be organized. Unless the war in the Near East was stopped immediately and Britain and France withdrew their troops from the front line, then they would have the strength to interfere with Austria.

Whether the British were willing or not, Napoleon Iii didn't know. Anyway, it was absolutely impossible for him to do it. He paid such a big price, and the war had reached this point. If there was no big victory, he couldn't end it at all.

This was related to his own political life. Napoleon Iii couldn't gamble his throne for the sake of intervening in Austria. It was not worth it.

Since there was a deal between Russia and Austria, and Metternich secretly appeared in Paris, what about London? If the Austrians convinced the British, then it didn't matter whether France recognized it or not.

Thinking of this, Napoleon Iii helplessly found that at this time, he didn't have much choice. Unless France didn't expand in the future, the best choice now was to exchange interests.

France's mineral resources were insufficient. The mineral resources of the Rhine River region had always been coveted by France, especially the local rich coal resources.

Most of these areas were currently under the control of the Kingdom of Prussia, which was also one of the causes of the Franco-Prussian War in history. The Prussians didn't fulfill their prior commitments, so Napoleon Iii provoked the war.

…

Maximizing interests was the essence of any politician, and Napoleon Iii was no exception. Now he needed to get a benefit in Austria to consolidate his unstable country.

After some bargaining, on August 6, 1853, Metternich and Napoleon Iii signed the "Fao's Outline for Italy", the "Fao's Treaty on the Division of Spheres of Influence in Central Europe", and the "Fao's Secret Mutual Assistance Treaty" in the Palace of Versailles on August 6, 1853.

The first two treaties only stipulated the spheres of influence of the two countries, and many areas that might be disputed were stipulated in the treaty.

The latter secret treaty was the core of this negotiation. According to the agreement: France supported the establishment of the new Holy Roman Empire, and Austria would support the French to obtain the area west of the Rhine River and part of Italy. (including Belgium, Luxembourg, the Rhineland, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and Sicily)

When it came to being generous, Franz was always very generous. If the French dared to ask for it, even if they included the Netherlands and North Germany, Metternich wouldn't refuse.

Anyway, this promise of support was only verbal, and there was no need to pay any actual benefits.

Didn't Napoleon Iii know? Obviously, it was impossible, but he had confidence in the strength of France, and he believed that it would be no problem to take over these areas.

As long as the Austrians could fulfill the agreement, verbally support, and not interfere with other countries, they had a great chance of success.

There was always an ideal. What if it came true?

Making an agreement in advance, in case they had to take action in the future, they could eliminate an opponent in advance.

Of course, Napoleon Iii wasn't stupid. He wouldn't really believe the promise of the Government of Austria. With so many goals, even if they wanted to take action, they couldn't do it in one go.

The road had to be taken step by step, and the meat had to be eaten bite by bite. As long as they didn't be greedy, these goals were still very likely to be achieved by the French.

In short, everything depended on strength. As long as France was strong enough, these small goals could be achieved. On the contrary, if they weren't strong enough, even if the Austrians fulfilled their promise, they wouldn't have the appetite to eat it.