Chapter 848

Franz had no choice but to flip the table. Although Austria had a lot of influence in the German Federal Empire, the central government led by Hanover was still more pro-British.

From the standpoint of the German Confederation, it was obviously more in the interest of the ruling class to get close to the British and use the power of the British to ensure their independence.

In contrast, the Government of Vienna shouted the slogan of unifying the German Region every day, which made it difficult for them to get close to it.

This worry was only limited to the large states. For most of the smaller states, there was no such trouble. There was no need to worry about following Austria since they were all followers.

Due to the influence of nationalism, most of the smaller states in the German Region were more inclined to return to the Shinra Empire and realize their dream of becoming a superpower.

In terms of strength, once the German Region was unified, the overlord of Europe would be born, and this overlord of Europe was likely to become the overlord of the world.

Overlord wasn't just a title, there were hidden benefits behind it. The nationalism in the German Region could grow stronger, in addition to Austria's secret support, many local capitalists and nobles also contributed greatly.

Other than patriotism, it was also for benefits. The overlord could bring a bigger market to the capitalists, and it could also bring glory and benefits to the nobles.

Although there were many supporters of Austria, most of these people were outside the scope of guerrilla power. Perhaps they were distributed in the smaller states and couldn't influence the central government's decisions.

These people supported the unification of the German Region. In a sense, it was to reshuffle the cards and use Austria's hands to reorganize the rights and interests.

In Franz's view, most of these people were speculators. It was fine to let them wave flags and shout war cries, and it was fine to cooperate with Austria's rule, but he couldn't count on them to work for him.

Otherwise, the rule of the German Confederation would have been overthrown a long time ago. Franz had seen the fighting power of nationalism. If these people dared to take the lead, the German Confederation government would be replaced in an instant.

Now that the table was flipped, Franz not only warned the German Confederation government not to play with fire, but also to beat these speculators. He used practical actions to tell them that the German Confederation was a small country without the right to speak after leaving Austria.

After the annexation of the Rhineland, these people would become arrogant and be tricked by the British into playing with Germanization.

These areas were different from Switzerland, Belgium, and Holland, which had left the Shinra Empire.

Switzerland was a mountainous region. It was a place with nothing, but its people were tough. Franz was naturally not interested in this kind of place.

Belgium's geographical position was important, and it existed as a buffer country between France and Germany. Whoever had any ideas about them, they would fall to the other side.

Needless to say, the Netherlands had always been outside of the German region. They had been independent for a long time and had formed their own cultural inheritance system.

These three countries all had independent capital, but the Federal Empire of Germany, which was in a state of disunity, did not.

To Germany, Of Of, of Empire, the Prof the German Empire, Empire, Germany, and had to in. Franz did not mind them enjoying themselves for a few days before that.

How would they know the importance of a strong motherland if they had not experienced the cruelty of society?

In Berlin, William I was furious when he found out that Austria and England were going to give the Rhineland to the German Federal Empire.

Even if the Rhineland was an enclave with the French on its side and could be lost at any time, it was still the territory of the Kingdom of Prussia.

Back then, after the war against France had ended, Austria had given them the Rhineland region at the Vienna Conference, and asked them to act as the gatekeeper to defend against France.

The sad scene of his father, Frederick The Great William III, appeared in William I's mind. He didn't expect it to happen again while he was still alive.

On the surface, it wasn't a humiliation to have more territory, even if it was an enclave.

In reality, the Vienna Conference was a conference to divide the spoils after the war against France. Prussia lost the chance to swallow Saxony if they took the Rhineland.

At that time, the Rhineland was a piece of rotten land, and it was threatened by the French at any time. It couldn't be compared to the fertile land at their doorstep.

It wasn't easy to wait for the industrial era to come, and the rotten land became a treasure land. In the end, it was going to change hands again. How could William I accept this?

The promise to the French was just an empty promise. William I knew that Austria and England wouldn't let the French swallow the Rhineland. They could go back on their word later.

But now, England and Austria were even more extreme than he had imagined. They were prepared to take the Rhineland region from him.

William I suppressed his anger and said, "England and Austria want to take the Rhineland region from us. What do you guys think we should do now?"

Prime Minister Moltke slammed the table. "That's impossible. The Rhineland is our legal territory. It was confirmed by the European countries at the Vienna Conference. Why should Austria and England take it from us?

We can't give in no matter what. If we agree to such humiliating conditions, how can we explain it to the people? As long as we don't agree, will Austria and England send troops to help the German Confederation? "

Finance Minister Golman said, "It's not that simple. Although Austria and England won't send troops to take the Rhineland, they can still stop us from establishing the Polish Union.

There's news from London that Austria and England have reached an agreement. If we reject this deal, they will refuse to recognize the Polish throne election.

If we forcefully annex Poland, Austria and England will mobilize the European countries to embark on a material embargo. The Government of London is ready to collect the debt in advance. With our financial situation, I'm afraid … "

Send troops? There was no need to send troops at all. Just a material embargo was enough to make the Kingdom of Prussia unable to bear it. Moreover, the British wanted to collect the debt in advance.

There was no doubt that the Kingdom of Prussia would have an economic crisis in a month at most. It would be a devastating economic crisis.

Prime Minister Moltke retorted, "If the British collect the debt in advance, we will declare bankruptcy and repudiate these debts. At most, both sides will suffer. No one will have an easy time.

A material embargo is easy to say, but it's impossible to implement it. In Europe, Austria and England can't cover the sky with one hand. If they don't do business, there are other countries.

Moreover, if the government interferes with free trade, the capitalists in their country will be the first to object. "

Finance Minister Golman smiled bitterly and explained, "It doesn't matter if the capitalists agree or not, but Austria and England can indeed implement a material embargo.

We don't need all countries to participate. Most of our import and export trade is with Austria and England, accounting for about 66.4% of our total import and export trade.

Once we are blockaded by Austria and England, more than half of the world's ports will be closed to us. Routes to Africa, India, and Southeast Asia will be completely cut off. Even our only colonies will be cut off from the mainland.

To America … "

This was a practical problem. Together with their colonies, England and Austria's total economic output accounted for 58% of the world's, the total industrial output accounted for 68% of the world's, and the total import and export trade accounted for 75% of the world's.

The colonies of the two countries combined were more than one-third of the world's land area. More than half of the world's ports were monopolized by the two countries. It was impossible to avoid overseas trade.