Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 113

Chapter 113: Chapter 113: Disrupting Prussia’s Arrangement
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Berlin

Palmerston’s arrival did not bring good news to Frederick William IV; the British stood against them as well.

“Your Majesty, the current situation is very unfavorable for us. All European countries are against us. Austria, the only great power supporting us, is only doing so due to public opinion; they will not provide us with any substantial help,” Prime Minister Joseph von Radovich said with a frown.

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Taking on Russia alone on land before the end of the Crimean War was something no country in Europe, including Prussia, had the courage to do.

Having such a neighbor was the greatest misfortune of the Kingdom of Prussia. Since they couldn’t beat them, it was better to be friends, and Prusso-Russian relations had always been the most important part of Prussian diplomacy.

“Is the bourgeoisie government still unwilling to compromise?” Frederick William IV asked with concern.

Radovich thought for a moment and said, “Yes, Your Majesty. Now the public’s morale is high. After Austria declared their support for us, German nations have been waving our flag and shouting for us; they attempt to use public opinion to force us into war with Russia.

The bourgeoisie government believes it is not the time to dampen the people’s morale. They want to wait until Austria has dealt with its internal conflicts and then join forces with us to resist Russian pressure.”

Indeed, Russia, the European Gendarme, was very formidable, not something Prussia could compare with. However, after forming an alliance with Austria, the situation would be reversed, as Russia could not handle a two-front opposition.

But the question is, why would Austria stand against Russia and help Prussia expand its territory? Where are their interests?

Frederick William IV thought for a while and then said, “Inform our people to take action, cool down the domestic public opinion, and tell my Arnim to back off for now. It’s not yet time to challenge the Russians.”

No one had expected that the leader of the liberals was actually the King’s man. It’s no wonder that after the outbreak of the great revolution, Prussia could so quickly reach an internal compromise.

However, those familiar with history know that this Prussia-Denmark War was just a conflict stirred up by Prussia to divert its internal disputes.

Through external warfare, they successfully shifted the nation’s focus away, creating favorable conditions for the counter-revolutionary groups to strike back.

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How could the bourgeoisie government even consider provoking a Prusso-Russian conflict before they had secured their power without someone guiding them?

Whether it was planning the Polish independence movement or launching the Prussia-Denmark War, both challenged the Russians’ bottom line. A misfire could be disastrous for the Kingdom of Prussia.

To avoid a situation spiraling out of control, Frederick William IV intervened several times to call a halt and ease tensions. To some extent, this was also a Prussian test for the Russians.

In August 1848, under international pressure, the Kingdom of Prussia made concessions to Russia, and the Prussia-Denmark War entered into an intermission phase. The two countries signed the Malmo Truce Agreement.

Vienna

On receiving the Malmo Truce Agreement, the Austrian Government thought that the Prussia-Denmark War had effectively ended. The compromise by Prussia greatly dissatisfied the nationalistic Germans in the region, and Austria’s plan had succeeded.

Only Franz knew that things were not so simple. Through this test, the Prussians had obtained the answer they wanted: the Russians would not easily wage war against them.

The main reason was the Tsarist Government was rather poor, and the Kingdom of Denmark was also unable to bear the cost of the war. If a war broke out with the Kingdom of Prussia, many Russian plans would have to be put on hold.

“This truce agreement came too quickly. Its terms are too favorable to the Danish people, which is very odd. On the battlefield, Prussia had the upper hand; there’s no reason for them to take this loss.

Under normal circumstances, the Prussian Government would just need to hold on a little longer, and the Danish people would have made concessions – maybe even gotten a little extra out of it. How could they just accept this loss?” Franz said.

Prussia was also a European power, albeit at the bottom of the great powers, but still a member of the club of powers; how could they accept such an obvious loss?

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No matter how strong foreign diplomatic pressure was, without military intervention, why should they make such a significant concession?

Metternich seemed to think of something, but was not sure, so he asked, “Your Highness, do you mean that the Prussians have a plot?”

“Yes!”

“As the two largest nations in the German region, we have always wanted to unify the region – don’t the Prussians also want to unify the German region?”

“After a series of failures, we realized that with Austria’s situation, other countries would not allow us to unify the German Region, and we reluctantly gave up.”

“However, once we have the opportunity to unify the German Region, we will not give up either.”

“Now the Prussians have stirred up nationalism and are promoting the idea of a great unification, and they have proposed the unscrupulous Lesser Germany plan. What are all these for?”

“Without a doubt, the Prussians know they lack the strength to unify the German Region, so they have taken a step back and prepared to kick us out, establishing a Lesser German Empire.”

“Not long ago, we just thwarted their conspiracy at the Frankfurt meeting. Why did Frederick William IV refuse to recognize the Frankfurt meeting that was obviously inclined towards Prussia?”

“Is it really because the crown was not legitimate enough? In my view, he dares not. Once he supports the Frankfurt meeting, he will stand against the German Confederation.”

“The Kingdom of Prussia has limited strength; they cannot afford to dilute their power. They have compromised in the war over the Danish issue, mostly because they want to stir up trouble in the German Region.”

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“The Foreign Ministry must maintain contact with the governments of the states at all times, and not let the Prussians find an opportunity. If necessary, we can send troops to help them stabilize the situation.”

Franz’s well-reasoned analysis revealed his foresight.”

“Historically, at this juncture, the Prussians were continuously liaising with the Sub-States of the German Region, establishing the ‘Triangular Alliance,’ attempting to replace Austria-controlled German Federation, taking the first step towards unifying the German Region.”

“Even though later they were slapped back by Austria and the Triangular Alliance was disbanded, the Kingdom of Prussia’s status in the German Region was greatly elevated.”

“They even used this opportunity to feign weakness intentionally, continuously publicizing the shame of the Olmütz Agreement on Prussia, which weakened the vigilance of the great powers against them.”

“These are all Franz’s personal speculations. He admires the ability of the Kingdom of Prussia to unify the German Region amidst such constraints.”

“However, now his position determines his stance; he is not a loyal follower of Prussia—like Peter III, he cannot afford to be biased.”

“He can only speculate on the Prussians’ actions with the utmost malice, to avoid leaving any opportunities for the enemy.”

“With Austria prepared, it won’t be easy for the Prussians to pull in allies. In terms of influence in the German Region, Prussia simply cannot compare with Austria.”

“If in this era destiny were decided by a public vote, Franz could even get ready for the coronation as Emperor of Germany, as the Habsburg Family holds an absolute advantage.”

“Your Highness, currently, many of the Sub-States in the German Region are unstable. If the Prussians want to intervene, they are likely to attract some Sub-States to ally with them, under the pretense of helping stabilize their situations.”

“Judging by strength, the Prussians are likely to first woo the Northern German States and then penetrate the Southern German States.”

“As for unifying the German Region, this is most likely just a pretense. Unifying Northern Germany is the limit of tolerance that other states have for the Kingdom of Prussia,” Metternich analyzed from a diplomatic standpoint.”

“Indeed, this is the situation at present, but it might not be so in the future. Historically, the Kingdom of Prussia used the conflicts between the great powers to defeat their enemies one by one, unifying the German Region, excluding Austria.”

“Due to geopolitics, religion, and economy, Austria has the greatest influence in the German Region, yet the Northern German States’ bourgeoisie is generally inclined towards the Kingdom of Prussia, giving Prussia a mass base to unify Northern Germany.”

“However, now Austria cannot tolerate Prussia unifying Northern Germany so soon, as this would mean the two sides’ strengths are getting closer.”

“Franz has yet to complete domestic reforms. The rise of a strong Kingdom of Prussia would threaten Austria’s interests.”

“The Foreign Ministry will try to disrupt the Prussians’ plans and also strengthen relations with the Southern German States. The government is ready to negotiate with the Customs Union, and Austria also wants to join.”

“If the Prussians obstruct, we can draw out the Southern German States to reorganize the Customs Union. If necessary, we can split the German Federation!” Franz said seriously.”

“In the Northern Germany Region, Austria only needs to delay the unification process of the Kingdom of Prussia, and when necessary, could even do a trade-off for benefits. Whereas in the Southern Germany Region, Franz will not let go easily under any circumstances.”

“Even if it’s impossible to annex these countries, we must establish alliances and infiltrate through political, economic, and cultural means.”

“Further deepening the current alliance relationship is a good choice. If necessary, we can all collaborate to establish a loose Federal Empire.”

“For example, following the once Holy Roman Empire, as long as there is nominal unity, we can gradually achieve merging through economic and cultural influence in the future.”