Chapter 892

Whether he was willing or not, since the French had declared war on Belgium, Leopold II could only bite the bullet and follow suit.

Leopold II couldn't do such a shameful thing like not declaring war, and the Belgian people wouldn't agree to it either.

On September 28, 1890, in a panic, the Belgian government issued a telegram to the outside world, publicly declaring war on France.

There was no doubt that this telegram declaring war was not only for the French to see, but also for Austria to see.

It was as if to say: Boss, the little brother has done it, now it's up to you.

That afternoon, Franz gave an anti-invasion speech in the Imperial Parliament, denouncing the shameless behavior of France, and then the representatives unanimously passed the motion to declare war on France.

The next day, Franz issued a "Letter to the People of France" in the Palace of Vienna, listing a bunch of consequences of the war and calling on the French people to stand up against the aggressive war launched by the government.

There was no doubt that such a letter of advice had no effect at all. War had already been declared, and naturally, it was impossible to stop after listening to a few shouts.

Of course, if the Italians were barely counted among the French people, then this political show was perfect.

After the announcement was issued, anti-war and anti-invasion movements broke out in Rome, and quickly spread to many Italian cities. If it wasn't for the incompetence of the Italian independence organization, it might have been another popular uprising.

On September 29, 1890, the Government of France declared war on Austria, and on the same day, the French army invaded Belgium and Luxembourg, opening the prelude to the European War.

In the palace of Hanover, George the First was cursing incessantly, "Damn British liars, they're all a bunch of children …"

From his expression, it could be seen that George I was misled by the British.

The German Confederation was not weak, and there was Austria behind it. With the security guarantee promised by the British, George I mistakenly thought that the French's target this time was only Belgium.

In this context, George I naturally encouraged Austria to go up, and he hid behind to watch the show.

In order to drag Austria into the water, George I actively cooperated in the early days of the establishment of the anti-French alliance.

After the alliance was signed, he thought that the overall situation was settled, and with the constant bluffing of the British, George I began to slack off.

Anyway, the German Confederation was in a mess, and it was reasonable for them to act slowly, not afraid of being held accountable by their allies.

Apart from putting on a show, George I did not urge the states to expand their military and prepare for war. His allies urged him to push the matter to the Imperial Parliament.

After Belgium and Austria declared war on the French, George I was still secretly celebrating the success of the plan. Who would have thought that the French would not even let go of the bystanders.

Due to the butterfly effect, Luxembourg was still a member of the German Confederation and was not an independent country.

As the "Gibraltar of the North", the French would naturally not let go of a strategic location like Luxembourg.

Otherwise, at the critical moment of the war, when the Germans came out of Luxembourg, the French could only cry.

The British did not, and not, not, and the German Not. Regardless of whether the German Confederation participated in the battle, the French army had already made their move.

Unless George I could sit back and watch Luxembourg fall, they would have to fight this war.

"British", not. We will deal with them in the future. The most important thing is to mobilize as soon as possible to ensure the safety of the western land.

At the same time, strengthen the relationship with our allies, eliminate previous misunderstandings, and find a way to win this war, "Prime Minister Ewald advised.

Ignoring the prime minister, George I asked, "What did the British say? Shouldn't they give us an explanation for what happened? "

The central government of the German Confederation, led by Hanover, was pro-British. Even the pro-Austrian faction, which was the largest in the German Confederation, was a minority here.

The traditional friendship between England and China had a long history. For a long time, the two countries had the same monarch, and they had been the closest allies for nearly a hundred years.

Now that something like this happened, it was easy to imagine the impact on George I. Even the prime minister, who was the leader of the pro-British faction, did not like him.

"The Government of the United Kingdom said it was a misunderstanding. They are communicating with France, and they want us to stay calm," Foreign Minister Weidlund replied nervously.

It could indeed be considered a misunderstanding. At least France and Germany had not declared war on each other. In theory, there was still the possibility of mediation.

It was impossible to stay calm. The French army was attacking the Luxembourg region. George I could stay calm, but the soldiers at the frontline could not.

No matter how pro-British he was, George I was not a fool. If the Government of the United Kingdom forcefully announced their intervention, he could still wait and see. Saying it was a misunderstanding was just fooling a fool.

"Misunderstanding my ass. Did the French army go to Luxembourg for a vacation?

Tell the British that if the French army does not withdraw from the German Region within 24 hours, then it will be war!

Order the first, second, and seventh divisions stationed in the Rhineland region to reinforce Luxembourg. Order the ninth and eleventh divisions to move to the Belgian region and be ready to reinforce Belgium.

Inform the representatives of the states that there will be a parliament meeting tonight. The government will immediately issue a national mobilization order in the name of the central government.

Arrange it. I will go to Berlin tomorrow. At this point, we must win the support of Prussia.

… "

At this critical moment, George I still showed the qualities of a monarch and issued a series of orders in an orderly manner.

Not wanting to go to war with the French did not mean that the German Confederation did not prepare for war. The German Region had been at war for hundreds of years. The princes who could survive were all learned from their families. None of them were easy to deal with.

The situation in Europe was tense. How could everyone not be prepared? The biggest problem of the German Confederation was the difficulty of coordination, nothing else.

George I was fooled by the British. In fact, he had no choice. Because at this time, there was more than a 99% chance that he would lose the throne if he fought a war with the French, regardless of the outcome.

If he lost the war, he would either be removed from the throne by the French or thrown out by the people.

If he won the war, the merger of Germany and Austria would be the general trend. In the German Region, the Gotha Dynasty had no way to compete with the House of Habsburg, and Hanover could not compete with Austria.

For a monarch, losing the throne was not only a loss of a title, but also a lifelong shame.

The promise of the British was a life-saving straw. The desire deep in his heart drove George I to believe it.

Now that the lie had been exposed, George I had woken up. Since war was inevitable, he had to face reality.

If he won the war, he still had the capital to negotiate terms. Even if he could not keep the throne, he could have a dignified end.

If he lost the war, he would lose all initiative and could only rely on the support of the British to maintain his rule. He could be overthrown by the people at any time.

After what had just happened, George I had lost confidence in the British and was ready to rely on himself.

The importance of the Kingdom of Prussia was reflected in the war with the French. With the brilliant record against the Russians, the Kingdom of Prussia was the force of the German Confederation.

Despite heavy losses in the previous war and being poached by Austria after the war, the Kingdom of Prussia still had good combat power.

"Your Majesty, in view of the current complex international situation, the British are likely to stand with the French. I propose to suspend the payment of the British loan," Prime Minister Eival remedied.

The German Confederation was tricked by the British. As the leader of the pro-British party, Prime Minister Eival, who believed the British promise, must be responsible.

Prime Minister Eival, who did not want to follow the end, decisively chose to cut ties with the British. The pro-British party became the anti-British party.

It was normal for politicians to change their faces like flipping a book. Prime Minister Eival did not feel the slightest psychological pressure.

"I'm afraid that won't work. It's true that the Government of the United Kingdom is supporting the French, but that's all in the dark. On the surface, Britannia is still a neutral country.

If we default on the debt at this time, it is very likely that the British will really be forced to side with the French. The situation will be even more disadvantageous for us, "Foreign Minister Weidlund said.

It was the 19th century, and it was not fun to go back on a debt. It was common to use force to collect debts. In this day and age, the European country that really succeeded in defaulting on a debt was Russia.

In the face of the British creditors, the German Confederation obviously did not have the power to default on a debt. If they really shed all pretense of cordiality, they would be the unlucky ones.

After hesitating for a moment, George I gritted his teeth and said, "Using the war as an excuse of financial constraints, send a message to the British and tell them that we want to postpone the payment of the loan.

This time they played us, and if nothing unexpected happens, the Government of London will give us a certain amount of comfort.

Now that we postpone the payment of the debt, the British should not make a big fuss. Remember to be more sincere, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should try to appease the British.

If necessary, we can promise the British that as long as the French withdraw, we will immediately resume the payment. "

George I was forced to go back on the debt of the British. The German Confederation was rich, but it was the local states that were rich. The central government had always been poor.

If they could not collect taxes, the central government of the German Confederation could not even pay the salaries of their staff. Most of the time, it had to be paid by the finance of Hanover.

War was also a gold-swallowing monster. The central government would definitely not be able to fork out a huge amount of war funds.

It would be another protracted wrangling for the governments of the states to bear the burden. At this juncture, it was better to save as much as possible. It was better to postpone the payment of the British debt than to go bankrupt.

At the same time, he could also warn the British not to go too far. Otherwise, the German Confederation would be finished, and so would their debt.

Unfortunately, George I was not confident enough, and the meaning of the warning was blown away.