Chapter 26

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Chapter 26: Iron and Blood

Frankfurt Free City was the political and cultural center of the German region, with the most progressive scholars and freshest theories. Countless ideologies, political parties, and street politicians could be found in this city.

The Frankfurt National Assembly was filled with talented individuals.

There were 831 members from 34 political parties, categorized into conservative, progressive, royalist, and republican groups, which could be further divided into many subgroups. The assembly was a diverse mix of colors like a palette.

This National Congress didn’t have real power or an army. They relied on money from wealthy capitalists. During the Liberal Revolution, a group of people said, "I represent the will of the people. I want to establish a parliament to govern Germany."

So, the National Congress was born.

Hmm…

The German princes actually looked down on these people, but because the liberal movement was strong, they pretended to change their beliefs, although they regretted it later.

The National Congress sent invitations, asking representatives from different German states to attend a meeting. Except for Prussia and Austria, other German states sent delegates to the meeting.

It wasn’t until June 16th that Prussia and Austria sent representatives to Frankfurt.

The Prussian representative was named Anna von Bismarck, a woman. The members of the National Congress were very unhappy with this. They believed that women should stay at home and not be in the public eye. They discriminated against Anna, this female politician, in the name of freedom and the people.

The National Assembly took place at the St. Paul’s Church in Frankfurt at ten o’clock in the morning.

Many members of the assembly looked down on Anna and were disrespectful towards her. However, Anna didn’t care. She boldly walked to the seats of the representatives from various countries, switched the nameplates of Austria and Prussia, and sat in the first seat representing Prussia.

The representative from Austria, who entered later, glared at Anna with a murderous look, but Anna remained seated calmly.

The other princes’ representatives exclaimed and turned their heads to watch, eager to see how the fight between Prussia and Austria would unfold.

The Austria representative said, "I should be sitting in the first seat."

Anna picked up the nameplate in front of her and turned it around, asking the Austria representative, "Is this Prussia’s seat? Are you planning to join Prussia?"

The Austria representative raised his voice, insisting, "Austria should be in front of Prussia."

"Fine." Anna pointed to the aisle on her left. "Then you can sit on the floor."

The Austria representative took a deep breath to control his anger, made some harsh remarks to Anna, threatening her to wait for him, and then stormed off.

The leader left the meeting directly, and his subordinates… some small princes’ representatives under Austria’s control also quietly left the venue, torn between the National Congress and liberalism, struggling in a difficult situation.

The members were angry, wondering why they left before the meeting even started. They were ordered to come back.

But their anger was just a display of frustration, the representatives of the Austria faction still left the meeting.

The only ones left on the scene were Prussia, Mecklenburg, Aldenburg, Sachsen, and a few mini princes from central and southern Germany.

The members of the National Congress are going to discuss the formal establishment of the German Empire today, as well as appointing Leader One as the German Emperor.

The opinion of Prussia is important in this matter, the members want to inquire with Prussia’s representative Anna. Their attitude is particularly arrogant, showing disrespect towards Prussia and also towards Anna as a woman.

Assembly member (haughtily), "Can Prussia accept establishing the German Empire democratically? An Empire that includes all Germans and territories. We hope the prince regent can agree to the people’s demands and become the emperor."

Anna, "Beer is the favorite drink of the German people, with a long tradition. It has become even more popular recently. Both barley beer and wheat beer have a large audience. Personally, I think wheat beer tastes better, it’s smooth and clean, the hangover is lighter. But Your Highness the Regent prefers dark beer."

Assembly member (getting annoyed), "We are asking you about Germany, don’t go off topic."

Anna, "The prince regent’s dark beer mainly uses wheat, with some barley mixed in. The malt is roasted into black malt before brewing. I think the cost is higher, the production process is complex, a slight mistake can ruin it. However, the prince regent believes that someone can successfully brew this kind of dark beer."

Assembly member (frustrated), "Stop trying to change the subject, we don’t care about beer. Will Prussia accept the National Congress’s arrangement or not?"

Anna, "I come from a village. Many people in my village don’t have much education or skills, but they like to make their own beer to drink. I advised them that making beer should be done by professionals, but they didn’t listen. The beer they made not only no one bought, but also caused them to drink themselves to death from alcohol poisoning."

Everything that needed to be said has been said. Prussia has already shown enough respect to the National Congress. If they do not show respect, they will attack the Congress directly.

During the meeting of the National Congress on June 16, Anna talked nonsense, avoided answering questions directly, and the members of the Congress thought so.

The National Congress used to have some credibility. After a month, many sane people withdrew because they could see that there were too many mentally challenged and conflicting people in the Congress, making it impossible to achieve anything.

The members who have not yet withdrawn from the National Congress are somewhat mentally unwell. Almost no one can understand what Anna is saying, so they naturally think Anna is talking nonsense.

During the Liberal Revolution in Europe, many monarchs of various countries were forced to agree to form liberal cabinets and appoint many liberal individuals.

So, the really capable people have already taken up positions in the actual governing bodies. Those who are not capable come to this so-called National Congress, where they have no skills, narrow perspectives, and no understanding of the situation in the German region, but they are clamoring to unify Germany.

Stop wasting time on useless things. Even if you make some money, you won’t be able to. The entire National Congress relies completely on wealthy and foolish people for support. They have no income of their own.

"There’s no point in fooling around; let’s focus on important matters." Anna said to her entourage, and called in a few representatives of the nobles.

"Tomorrow morning, we have to attend the German Confederation Congress. Today, I stood up to the Austrians, and tomorrow they will surely try to regain their position. We need to be prepared to respond."

"Bring me the latest draft of the Customs Union Treaty for another review."

Anna was surrounded by a crowd, with delegations from Prussia and a few other pro-Prussian states following Anna’s lead, obediently listening to her.

During this time period, women were still looked down upon. Anna faced questioning and even insults from all levels of society when she first took on the roles of Chief Diplomatic Secretary and Finance Secretary.

By the middle of the year 1839, things were starting to improve, but only in the field of diplomacy and within the highest ranks of Prussian authority. Those in power recognized Anna’s abilities and did not discriminate against her because of her gender. Foreign diplomats all acknowledged Anna as a talented young diplomat.

Despite this, the public and political circles generally disliked Anna, labeling her as a notorious female rogue from some unknown backwater village, a barbaric and uncouth woman who lacked manners.

Oh, and the Austrians also strongly disliked Anna.

The 1839 German Confederation Congress was held in the Frankfurt Cathedral, a prestigious venue compared to the shabby St. Paul’s Church where the National Congress was held. The Frankfurt Cathedral was once the designated location for the coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor.

Anna, "Such a grand place for the coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor, yet not a single chair in sight?"

The Austrians didn’t prepare a chair for her, everyone had one except her. It was obviously because of what happened yesterday as revenge.

During the big revolution, the former Prime Minister of Austria was overthrown. The famous Prime Minister Metternich fled Vienna in disguise as a woman, ran westward all the way to France, and then crossed the Channel to live out the rest of his life in England.

The Austrian royal Habsburg family were almost at a loss. The Habsburg family made a big compromise with the people. The mentally disabled Emperor Ferdinand I (really disabled) abdicated, and the new Emperor Franz Joseph I ascended to the throne.

This new Austrian emperor was a typical anti-Prussian. The new Prime Minister he appointed, Felix Schwarzenberg, was also anti-Prussian.

What about Anna?

When it came to insulting Austria, she was very good at it. She only left France once in her life, but she insulted Austria every moment of her life.

The Prime Minister of Austria, with a difficult name, didn’t give her a chair. Anna walked straight towards him, grabbed his collar, and dragged the new Prime Minister of Austria up forcefully.

I dare challenge Metternich, not to mention you as a newcomer.

"Since you want me to stand, then we shall stand. Oh, by the way, you seem much shorter than me, don’t you?"

When Anna said this, the Austrian Prime Minister got very angry. He was only 1.68 meters tall, while Anna was 1.75 meters tall. The Prussian Dragon Cavalry really lived up to its reputation.

The Austrian Prime Minister shouted, "I damn well challenge you to a duel!"

Anna laughed happily, she had never laughed so much before. She turned to the representatives of the surrounding countries and said, "Did you all hear that? He brought this on himself."

In her life, Anna had only lost two duels. One was at the University of Gottingen and the other was at Berlin University, both times defeated by the Magic Energy Knight. Hardly any normal humans could match him.

After being beaten up badly, the Austrian Prime Minister was speechless. It’s one thing to challenge someone in anger, but losing a duel without being able to remain composed would mean losing all noble honor. So he had to swallow his pride after being beaten up.

The Austrians backed down, but not completely.

They provided chairs for Anna and the Prussian delegation.

Then at the meeting, they proposed very harsh conditions. They wanted to be involved in the North German Customs Union, required all of Germany to use Austrian currency and measurements, and demanded that all import and export tariffs for the entire German region be determined by Austria.

Anna was a bit stunned to hear these conditions. She couldn’t figure out what the new Austrian Prime Minister was up to… Was he scheming something, bluffing, or just plain crazy?

The Customs Union was important for uniting Germany. It unified the currency, measurements, and trade policies of the northern German states, making them all follow Prussia’s lead.

Under Prince Regent Redel’s leadership, Prussia gained more power in Germany and improved the Customs Union several times, strengthening the unity of the northern German states.

This was crucial for Prussia, but the Austrians wanted to control Prussia.

"The Customs Union is non-negotiable for Prussia. Let’s talk about something else," Anna implied that they could discuss other terms, even if Prussia had to compromise, but not the Customs Union.

"I don’t care about bottom lines, I’ve made my demands clear."

"Are you trying to start a war?" Anna asked in confusion.

"Then let there be war."

The Austrian Prime Minister’s attitude was extremely tough, unlike his previous submissive behavior when he was beaten. Maybe he had just been beaten and lost his composure in anger?

Anna kicked the Mecklenburg representative under the table.

Mecklenburg stood up and said, "It’s lunchtime, let’s go have lunch and take a break, then we can continue the meeting in the afternoon."

It was half past nine in the morning at that time…

The German Confederation Congress took a four-hour break and reconvened in the afternoon.

However, during the afternoon session, Austria’s conditions remained unchanged. They demanded strong intervention in the Customs Union, threatened Prussia’s interests, and refused to offer any compensation.

After a short break, the Austrian Prime Minister appeared calm and rational, not speaking impulsively due to the morning conflict.

This indicated that intervention in the Customs Union was the intention of the Austrian cabinet and even the Ottoman emperor, and Anna quickly understood what was happening.

Prussia had been very active during this time, expanding rapidly and posing a serious threat to Austria’s leadership position in the German region.

Austria had always advocated for a Greater Germany plan to achieve unity, firmly holding onto the position of German leader as a fundamental interest. Prussia’s recent developments had crossed Austria’s red line, especially with the new, hardline-oriented Ottoman emperor and chancellor in power.

The spark of today’s meeting… Anna thought about the foolish group at the National Congress who wanted to establish a democratic German Empire with mere words, and reward the position of German Emperor to Prussian Prince Regent Redel.

This incident completely angered Austria. Austria was already annoyed by the National Congress group of clowns, and now they wanted to give the German Emperor position to Redel. In the minds of those people, Redel was the leader of Germany.

Anna’s eyes stared at the empty desk.

She thought, to satisfy the Austrians, she first needed to have the prince regent directly refuse the National Congress… that was not important at all.

Now the Austrians definitely wanted to suppress Prussia, to make Prussia submit before them for their satisfaction.

Where did Austria get the confidence from? The whole Austrian Empire was nearly overthrown by the revolution, the Hapsburg family was almost all sent to the guillotine, there was chaos internally, uprisings from Poland to Hungary. Why did they dare to confront a stable Prussia?

Anna turned to her companions and asked, "In the past year, how many times did Austria and Russia visit each other?"

Her companion glanced at the notebook, "Austria visited Russia 2 times, Russia visited Austria 4 times, but there are no records of visits between the top officials of both countries."

"Did the agricultural ministers visit each other?"

"Only once, the Austrian agricultural minister visited Russia."

Austria and Russia used to be enemies, and they might be enemies again in the future. But in recent years, they have been good allies. Russia is willing to help Austria if Austria compromises on the Poland and agriculture issues.

Anna turned back to face the audience. The Austrian Prime Minister was talking about the restructuring of the German Confederation.

Russia will support Austria, but they don’t want Prussia to be completely defeated. It’s in Russia’s best interest for Prussia and Austria to challenge each other.

England has a similar stance, maintaining a balance between Prussia and Austria, without letting either side be completely defeated.

If a war breaks out, it would be England supporting a stable Prussia, versus an unstable Austria with partial support from Russia.

Would both sides end up equally damaged? Or would Prussia have a slight edge? Anna believed that Prussia was in a good position currently. Although Austria is stronger, internal conflicts weaken their power. In case of a war between Prussia and Austria, the people wouldn’t be as united as in defending against foreign forces. Prussia and Austria are like brothers, and Austria can’t use this war to shift revolutionary tensions.

Throughout the entire afternoon, Anna did not take part in the discussions. The Austrian Prime Minister led the rest of the meeting.

After much contemplation, Anna concluded that the new Osman emperor and the new Austrian Prime Minister are anti-Prussian. Even if it leads to both sides being hurt, they must suppress Prussia’s influence.

Either Prussia surrenders to Austria, or they go to war and risk destruction together.

This is a kind of tricky tactic. Anna used to consider Austria as a rational and normal country when she dealt with their diplomacy. But now that Austria has a new emperor and chancellor, Anna finds their actions very strange.

"Send a telegram to Your Highness the Regent to ask how the prince regent will decide on this matter."

Anna has thought of various strategies to deal with the situation, but she needs the approval of the prince regent. Fortunately, there is a telegraph line between Frankfurt and Cologne recently established, so information can be quickly transmitted to Berlin through Cologne.

That night, Freeman delivered the urgent telegram to the prince regent.

Leader One took the telegram and a slight smile appeared on his face.

"Anna, she is still too young and inexperienced. In my opinion, those two strange people from Austria are not even considered as outlandish."

Freeman, "Anna, she is still too young and inexperienced…"

Leader One, "Stop, there’s no need to remember this line."

As the head of the royal affairs office, Freeman is responsible for recording all the words and actions of Your Highness the Regent in important events, for future generations to use as historical material. While mumbling, he takes notes, but Leader One quickly tells him to stop.

It was already late at night, around eleven o’clock. Leader One didn’t want to disturb his ministers’ rest for this minor matter, so he planned to handle it himself.

Well, Catherine was still by his side, after all, this was Catherine’s home.

The prince regent said to the two of them, "Let me tell you a story about a game of cowards. There were two cowards who wanted to prove who was braver, so they agreed to each drive a car…"

Freeman, who was busy taking notes, quickly looked up and asked, "Your Highness, what is a car?"

The prince regent replied, "You haven’t even read my novel, ‘Chronicles of 1936,’ which describes cars."

Freeman said, "Your Highness, as far as I know, that novel was written by the famous Prussian writer Leader One and has nothing to do with you."

In the science fiction series about the Blue Star world, there was a big debate about the author. Some said Leader One was Redel’s pen name, while others said they were not the same person. Emperor Napoleon III thought they were the same person, but the Tsar disagreed, causing confusion among the people.

However, in the highest ranks of Prussia, most people knew that Your Highness the Regent enjoyed writing novels in his spare time. As the head of the royal affairs department, Freeman, the chief eunuch, should have known…

Catherine advised, "Freeman, you need to be more careful. Since you took office, you have been showing resignation skills every day."

Leader One ignored the two of them and continued sharing his thoughts.

Do the Austrians really want to die with Prussia? They just want to make it look like they are willing to die together to pressure Prussia to give in.

In the coward’s game model, to gain the most benefits, you need to appear braver than your opponent, make them believe you are not afraid of death, and make them think you are a lunatic.

He is the Emperor of Osman, I am the Prince Regent of Prussia, we both rule a country, and this is one of the major countries in the world, not some insignificant country that no one pays attention to.

Do we really want our country to be destroyed? Do we have some crazy people among us?

With Prussia and Austria at war now, it means two countries with great futures are being sent away, Germany is once again plunged into that dark era, German lands become a battlefield for the chaos of various European countries, and the people continue to suffer in misery.

Oh, by the way, you don’t care about the people, but you surely care about your own rights, family, wealth, and reputation.

Since you want to pretend to be unafraid of death to force me to give in, then I’ll act like a war maniac, let’s see who has the courage, and who is the real coward.

"Reply to Anna, tell her that no one is not afraid of death, she will understand what I mean," the prince regent said.

Catherine raised her hand and said, "Your Highness, I am not afraid of death."

The prince regent looked very embarrassed because there are indeed people who are not afraid of death in this world. Apart from Catherine, who is a bit abnormal, there are also those noble idealists.

However, noble idealists are rare, and there are more madmen. When a madman enters the game of cowards, the model fails. Leader One couldn’t be sure if the crazy Osman emperor was a madman.

The crazy Osman emperor also couldn’t confirm if Leader One was a madman. This led to a cycle of suspicion… In certain conditions, all rational people in the cycle of suspicion would doubt each other. When a madman enters the cycle of suspicion, it leads to failure.

In short, a madman makes all common sense and logic irrelevant.

After careful consideration, Leader One decided to stick to his original decision, his determination was unwavering.

Leader One never dabbled in gambling. He always made thorough preparations before taking action to ensure a very high chance of success. However, this time he had no certainty. It was his first time gambling, and he went all in, betting the fate of Prussia.

Frankfurt, 2 o’clock in the morning.

Anna received a telegram from Berlin and stared at it for an hour without saying a word, watching the flickering candlelight.

In the eyes of others, Anna seems to have a will as strong as iron, always firm and never wavering, but deep down, she has many vulnerabilities.

Gambling is a knot in Anna’s heart, she is very afraid of uncertainties.

The root of this issue started with a despicable person who demanded a thousand pounds dowry, leading Anna to the casino to make money. She initially won for a few days but ended up losing all her fortune.

After a period of staying away from gambling, when her financial situation improved and she returned to Berlin in a powerful position, Anna started gambling again. Sometimes she played for money, sometimes not. In her free time, she played cards with her subordinates, and during diplomatic activities, if she learned that the other party enjoyed gambling, she would talk about diplomacy at the gambling table.

Although no one set her up, Anna always lost whenever she gambled. She never won, whether it was due to poor skills or bad luck, it’s hard to say.

Her gaze shifted between the telegram and the candlelight as she muttered to herself, "What if I lose Prussia…"

After a while, her voice became calm.

I won’t lose, I can’t lose.

Despite a sleepless night, the next day Anna appeared radiant and full of vigor as she confidently entered the venue, unnoticed by others. In the eyes of others, Anna always appeared confident and even arrogant, a strong and daring young woman in politics.

Anna said to the Austrian Prime Minister, "I think Austria should be the leader of the German Confederation, and the most important country in it."

The Austrian Prime Minister first felt happy, then confused. He thought Prussia was giving in, but Anna’s expression was very arrogant. It seemed like Prussia could never be happy with her around.

Representatives from other German states whispered to each other, confused. If Prussia is giving in, why didn’t they tell us first? What is Anna up to?

"From today onwards, Prussia is leaving the German Confederation. We don’t want to stay in this place anymore. The North German Confederation is now formed. Anyone who wants to join can talk to me now."

Anna’s unexpected announcement stunned everyone into silence. For half a minute, no one knew how to react. They were all left dumbfounded.

The room erupted into chaos. People were shouting, cursing Anna, praying to God, and questioning if they were dreaming.

The relationship between Prussia and Austria was already tense. Anna’s words didn’t calm things down; they ignited a bigger flame.

Starting a war? Rebelling on the spot? Raising the banner of revolt? Bismarck, are you trying to destroy Germany with your actions?

After a moment of silence, the Austrian Prime Minister stood up and warned in a serious tone, "You are deliberately provoking war. Austria will not tolerate this behavior."

Anna looked at him and asked, "Who is Austria?"

The prime minister remained silent.

Anna tried her best to shout, "Who the heck is Austria!"

The noisy hall fell silent after her loud shout, no one could believe this woman could be so furious.

"If anyone is called Austria, tell them to come to Berlin to find me." Anna seemed to calm down, she straightened her clothes and left the hall in a grand manner.

On June 18, 1839, the Kingdom of Prussia announced its withdrawal from the German Confederation, establishing the North German Confederation, and received responses from Mecklenburg, Lauenburg, Oldenburg, Brunswick, Bremen, and Hamburg.

From June 19 to July 27, Austria made dozens of diplomatic meeting requests to Prussia, all of which were rejected.

On July 28, Austria declared the mobilization of fifty thousand soldiers and headed towards the Silesia region under Austrian control.

On the same day, Prussia declared the mobilization of fifty thousand soldiers, heading to the Silesia region under Prussian control.

On July 30th, the armies of Prussia and Austria faced each other in Silesia for a few days, with frequent clashes happening. England, Russia, and Austria got involved to try to calm things down.

On August 5th, Austria sent a final warning to Prussia, demanding that the Prussian army leave Silesia region within seven days.

On the same day, Prussia sent a final warning to Austria, demanding that the Austrian army leave Silesia region within three days. Prince Regent Redel of Prussia announced a nationwide mobilization, calling for the gathering of 500,000 troops within a month. The country entered a state of war, with war taxes imposed, curfews enforced, food rationing implemented, all entertainment venues closed, non-military production halted, and workers moved to military factories or joined the army.

On the night of August 7th, the Austrian army began to withdraw from Silesia region.

On August 10th, a peace treaty was signed in Prague between Austria and Prussia. The North German Confederation joined the German Confederation, Austria stopped interfering in the customs union issue, compensated Austria £10,000 for recent misunderstandings, and Prussia lifted the nationwide mobilization and state of war.

The Emperor of Austria, Franz Joseph I, sent a very brief letter to the Prince Regent of Prussia.

I admire you.

With the Silesian Crisis resolved, the whole of Europe breathed a sigh of relief. If Prussia and Austria had gone to war, regardless of the outcome, it would have had a profound impact on the political landscape of Europe.

Foreigners let out a sigh of relief, and the Prussians were overjoyed. On this day, national beer consumption increased by seventeen times compared to normal, reaching an unprecedented peak.

Prussian was in a difficult situation. Austria was interfering and trying to make Prussia obey. Nobody wanted their country to be humiliated or to go to war. Everyone was praying for peace.

When the prince regent called for a national mobilization, some people accepted it, some supported it, and some even started riots. Suddenly, it was clear who was against the prince regent.

Prince regent used to be lenient with troublemakers, just holding them for a few days to calm down. But at the end of June, he was attacked. During a speech at Frederick Square, a gunman suddenly appeared and fired at him.

The assassin didn’t know that Redel was a powerful Magic Energy Knight. Even without armor, his magic energy could resist the gunshot at close range. The bullet only pierced the prince regent’s coat.

Later on… Prussia hired the Royal Navy of England to send over a thousand people to Antarctica on a trip. They also found jobs for over seven thousand unemployed people, sending them to work on farms in Siberia. The Tsar thanked Prince Redel for his excellent contributions to Russian agriculture.

The secret police agency of the Prussian state was officially established, known as Gestapo in German, led by Lieutenant General Catherine.

Fortunately, the crisis was over and Prussia emerged victorious, bringing stability back to the country quickly.

After the crisis, Anna took a three-day break on her estate to relax. She had been traveling non-stop across Europe and was exhausted.

She visited the Tsar in Russia and told him that whatever Austria could do, Prussia could do too. Prussia had no interest in the Balkan Peninsula or its Slavic people.

She went to France to meet Napoleon III and told him that there was no longer a problem between Prussia and France in the South German region. Prussia would consider joint military exercises with the French troops in the Apennine Peninsula.

She went to England to see Queen Victoria. Prussia promised to help the Queen eliminate the evil people in England and support her rule.

She visited Denmark and subtly hinted to the Danish people that Prussia would turn a blind eye to the Schleswig issue.

The crisis was resolved not only due to the Prince Regent’s tough stance and determination to fight to the end but also because of Anna’s diplomatic efforts. Austria lost international support and did not want a real confrontation, so they backed down.

Prussia gained the maintenance of the Customs Union, the absolute loyalty of the North German princes, a significant increase in national prestige, uninterrupted development pace despite Austrian interference, and Germany entered an era of dual leadership. The personal prestige of the Prince Regent rose again, and hidden opponents were eliminated.

Prussia used this opportunity to test long-unused mobilization and war transformation procedures. It was found that the procedures were ineffective, and various problems arose during national mobilization and war. It was impossible to complete the recruitment tasks on time. Ron, the Chief Secretary of the Ministry of National Defense, identified many weaknesses and prepared to make significant changes to the mobilization system in military reforms.

Public opinion on Mrs. Bismarck slightly shifted from infamy to being remembered negatively for a long time.

Mrs. Bismarck played a significant role in resolving the crisis. However, people blamed her for the chaos, though some also considered her a heroine.

Anna paid no attention to public opinion and stated that powerless people are like ants.

Prussia lost a lot during the chaos caused by national mobilization and wartime conditions for two months, resulting in a decrease in the economic growth rate to only 16%, and accumulated a high-interest national debt of 5 million pounds.

Prussia was tasked with helping Russia suppress the revolution in Poland, assisting Queen Victoria in seizing power, halting military drills in South Germany, turning South German princes into semi-puppet states for France, sending troops to the Apennine Peninsula to aid the French army against the Austrian forces, and allowing Denmark to infiltrate and control Schleswig.

What did Anna gain personally? The Prussian Prince Regent Redel has confirmed that she will take up the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1840, concurrently serving as the Chief Secretary of Diplomacy and Chief Secretary of Finance. She will become the first female politician in Prussian history and the first person to hold both political and civil service roles at the same time.

Anna is 24 years old this year, turning 25 next year, and her talent is already unprecedented, beyond words like "young and promising."

However… there is someone even more exceptional in Prussia than Anna, the prince regent who is only 27 years old this year. His actions have been shaking Europe, with a long future ahead. People wonder what he can achieve in the remaining half of his life.

As the Silesian Crisis is resolved, Leader One has already laid out plans for the future and sowed the seeds during this crisis.

His promises to France and Denmark are actually just a big trap.

When Denmark tried to annex Schleswig, it sealed its own fate.

France may have gained South Germany, but its ambitions won’t stop there, they might also want Luxembourg from Belgium. The moment France sets its eyes on Luxembourg, their downfall is imminent.

For the benefit of England, it’s not exactly a gift, but Queen Victoria’s successful power grab was inevitable, and Prussia took advantage to strengthen the friendship between England and Prussia.

For the benefit of Russia, it was also intentional to ease tensions with Prussia, by using the Balkan issue to create discord between Russia and Austria, laying the groundwork for future strategic moves.

Prince Regent Redel dug out many big traps, but few could see his intentions. Anna couldn’t see them, who would have thought of the crazy plans in the Prince Regent’s mind? At that time, even Anna didn’t dare to think of such things.

Other countries simply thought that Prussia was making concessions to resolve the Silesian Crisis, without realizing what would happen in the next ten or more years. They didn’t see Prussia’s concessions as traps, instead they thought the deal was great.

During the crisis, former Austrian Prime Minister Metternich of Austria said that Austria must not back down and must suppress Prussia, otherwise Austria would have no future. But no one listened to his advice anymore.

Emperor Napoleon III watched the crisis unfold and sensed that within the next ten to fifteen years, there would be a major war between Prussia and Austria. However, Napoleon III didn’t expect his dear friend Redel to already have his eye on France.

Sir Martin, Chief Secretary of the English Cabinet, believed that Prussia didn’t really offer any benefits to England, although he accepted a bribe from Baron Schultz, Chief Secretary of the Prussian Cabinet. Ultimately, he didn’t push for more practical benefits during the talks between England and Prussia.

Most clever people could see some of Redel’s tactics during the crisis, but no one knew his full intentions.

Who could have imagined that he had already planned the strategy for the next fifteen years, aiming to establish a true German Empire, with absolute unity, supreme imperial authority, and no internal obstacles.

On Earth, Bismarck used double-sided tape to create a German Empire.

Redel of Blue Star wanted to forge a German Empire with iron and blood.

If his ambitious plans were to be openly revealed… no one believed, not even Anna. In 1839, although Prussia had high development potential, it seemed far-fetched to achieve such a level of power.