Chapter 20
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Chapter 20: The German War Chariot Has Been Set in Motion!
In Frankfurt, the German Confederation Congress is in session.
At the first gathering of the German princes in 1841, the atmosphere was very tense. The Austrian delegation had many unfamiliar faces, with the former chancellor and foreign minister absent, and instead, a special diplomatic secretary led the group.
A towering figure at 1.95 meters tall, looking like a rugged warrior, was also a Magic Energy Knight.
Why did the Austrian delegation choose such a person as their leader? The answer was soon revealed when they began with a very arrogant and even barbaric attitude, demanding to interfere in the customs union and threatening Prussia.
The Prussian Foreign Minister, Ms. Anna, has been very patient in the past six months, holding back from insulting Austria for the sake of a bigger plan. She has been respectful to Austria at several international meetings, but Austria is pushing her luck by trying to dominate over Prussia.
Anna definitely does not agree, especially when Austria wants to change the customs union. She argues logically and points out that Austria should not have authority over the North German customs union. In front of all the lords, she scolds Austria’s new representative for being rude and disrespectful.
Lords, "Bismarck actually said someone else is rude and disrespectful…"
The Austrian representative slams the table, draws his sword, and demands a duel with Bismarck.
Well, this new Austrian representative is not a diplomat at all. He is the fiercest Magic Energy Knight chosen from the Osman emperor’s guard, specifically to fight Bismarck at this conference.
Who is Anna? Arrogance is her trademark for life. Dueling with others is her favorite activity. If anyone dares to insult her, she dares to challenge them to a duel, no matter who it is… right?
Not really.
"Austria really lives up to its name as a powerful country, daring to duel with a lady." Anna remarks sarcastically.
"I challenge you to a duel, coward, don’t hide," says the Austrian representative.
"So it turns out Austria only bullies weak women. It seems like you’re a noble, do Austrian nobles enjoy challenging defenseless women to duels?" Anna continued sarcastically.
Anna was not foolish. How could she possibly accept this duel? The other party was a strong Magic Energy Knight. If she fought, she would surely get beaten up. She knew when to back down.
As a woman, it was reasonable not to accept a duel from a man. "Coward? I’m not a man. Noble honor? I’m not a noble, I’m just a country girl from Prussia," Anna dismissed.
No matter how Austria tried to provoke her, Ms. Anna remained calm and composed, politely declining, avoiding the topic, and being sarcastic.
The duel never happened. Austria wanted to fight Bismarck but failed to do so.
They continued discussing the issue of a tariff alliance, but Prussian Foreign Minister Mrs. Bismarck stood her ground, refusing to budge. This was essential for Prussia, and Anna was determined not to let Austria interfere.
Austria was no match for Anna in arguments. Their representative wasn’t a proper diplomat and couldn’t outwit Anna. The meeting was adjourned midway, and Austria quickly replaced their representative with a chancellor whose name was hard to pronounce and who had once been beaten by Anna.
And then…
Anna said, "I challenge you to a duel, coward. Will you accept?"
Austrian Prime Minister, "I… I am a coward, I refuse."
It was very embarrassing, saying such words in front of many nobles, but there was no choice because this Austrian Prime Minister was not a powerful knight, having been beaten up by Anna in a previous duel.
During the afternoon meeting, there was a heated argument between the powerful nations of Prussia and Austria, while other nobles watched with interest. The issue of trade alliances had been a topic of debate for many years. Unlike previous diplomats from Prussia, Anna was determined and unwilling to compromise on any of Austria’s demands.
The Austrian Prime Minister tried everything to pressure and persuade Prussia, but economic sanctions failed as North German states were self-sufficient, industrial sanctions were ineffective as Prussia could counter them, transportation blockades were futile, appealing to morality had no effect, and military threats…
Austria, "If Prussia continues to refuse negotiations, war might be inevitable. Austria is no longer troubled by the Liberal Revolution and can focus on defeating certain troublemakers."
Anna drew her sword and earnestly declared, "No one can be superior to Prussia!"
Do not even think about taking anything away from Prussia at the negotiation table – no money, no lives. If you have the guts, start a war and let’s see who, between Prussia and Austria, is more courageous.
The German nobles gasped in shock. Bismarck was truly fearless, with no fear of clashing with Austria. Although Austria was significantly stronger than Prussia, she did not seem afraid of a battle.
Previously, many nobles were willing to join Prussia in opposing Austria due to upheavals in Ollendorf, including the Liberal Revolution, nationalist awakenings, rebellions in Bohemia, Hungary, and Apennine.
As the big revolution ended, the Osman emperor compromised on national autonomy, the Apennine Peninsula was troubled by the French people, bothering Austria, everything is over now, and Austria can focus all its energy on dealing with Prussia.
The lords were a bit uncertain, feeling uneasy, unable to follow Prussia anymore, the situation might really end up being handled by Austria.
But Anna is not afraid, she has sources of information surpassing all the lords, knowing the true form of the current international situation, although Austria has already resolved most of its internal troubles, they have also lost all their external support.
England and France have already made up their minds to fight against Russia, Austria is dissatisfied with Russia’s betrayal in the Silesian Crisis, and believes that the chance of Russia winning in the upcoming Russo-Turkish War is not high, plus England promised to give Austria a very big reward.
Austria has decided to completely clash with Russia, and stab Russia in the back in the imminent Russo-Turkish War.
Breaking up with Russia, territorial disputes with Osman, arch-enemies with France for a hundred years, in such a situation, how dare they go to war with Prussia, the Austrians have pushed away an important ally, abandoned everything for the sake of eating this Russo-Turkish War cake.
As long as Austria intends to start a war, Prussia will immediately call daddy England, kneel and flatter Napoleon III, and continue to instigate hatred between Russia and Austria, then Austria will be doomed.
So Minister of Foreign Affairs Anna has full confidence not to give in at all at the German Confederation Congress, hey, I’m crazy, what can you do to me if I go crazy, insulting the Austrian master Bismarck is not empty talk.
At the end of the Federation meeting today, the Austrian Prime Minister threatened fiercely, "Prussia, just you wait, see how I will deal with you in a while."
Anna, "Hmm, keep going!"
At this moment, Ms. Anna, who was planning the next provocative move against Austria, had already ensured that Austria wouldn’t be able to retaliate against Prussia in the next conflict.
She knew that her actions were deepening the conflict between Prussia and Austria, and she intended for it to happen.
Anna had to constantly control Austria’s anger level. When Austria was ready for war, she would calm him down. When Austria couldn’t start a war, she would provoke him to anger. By doing this repeatedly, she would keep increasing the overall anger level until she chose to trigger a confrontation.
When Prussia was fully prepared and Austria was not ready for war, Anna pressured Austria into declaring war on Prussia.
Anna’s maneuvers relied on her timely and accurate control of international situations. She gathered a large amount of information from various sources such as media, the intelligence agency, and the aristocratic network, allowing her to make informed decisions.
Next to the Cabinet Office was a four-story building where over two hundred telegraph operators worked tirelessly day and night. There were also numerous Prussian telegraph stations across the country and Europe, collecting information that was promptly sent to the Prime Minister’s Palace. Anna would analyze this information and use it to her advantage in diplomatic situations.
Although it seemed extremely risky, it was actually very stable.
In contrast, most diplomats of that era operated with information that was weeks or even months old and lacked insider knowledge of other countries. Many of Germany’s rulers didn’t even read newspapers, let alone use telegraph for information or intelligence gathering.
Anna was at today’s federation meeting insulting Austria like crazy, and the princes thought Prussia was doomed.
Especially Mecklenburg, the duchess, had given the order that if Prussia was going to die, then let it die. Mecklenburg was eager for Prussia’s demise because the prince regent wouldn’t marry her.
After a day of meetings, the Prussian delegation left with great dignity. Anna and her entourage walked arrogantly down the street, behaving like troublemakers causing a scene.
Prussian diplomatic delegation ×
Prussian underworld society √
"Let’s eat, drink, and then get a good night’s sleep. We have another meeting tomorrow! Rest well, everyone, so we can continue insulting Austria together tomorrow," said Big Sister Anna as she waved her hand, dismissing the delegation to enjoy themselves.
Watching her brothers go off to have their own fun, Anna returned alone to her lodging estate. She planned to read the newspaper, have a simple meal, and then go to sleep.
However, the estate gatekeeper handed Anna a letter.
Anna turned the envelope over and over, noticing a very small private mark of Napoleon III.
The secret message from Emperor Napoleon III… Anna was walking and reading it, curious about what schemes Napoleon III was planning.
The letter was written in French, but Ms. Anna, who was fluent in all the major European languages, had no trouble understanding the secret message quickly.
The French knew that the German Confederation Congress would last several days and would discuss issues in the Near East, particularly the Balkans.
Napoleon III was unhappy with Austria because England was planning to give Austria a large share in the Russo-Turkish War.
Napoleon III’s plan was for Anna to provoke Austria at the Congress, encouraging them to seek more gains in the war, creating animosity between Russia and Austria. Prussia and France would then work together to make England and Russia wary of Austria, ultimately causing a rift between Austria and Russia without gaining much for themselves.
This secret agreement would benefit France the most, indirectly strengthening France and weakening Austria, leading to the complete collapse of the Holy Alliance.
Prussia would gain little from this plan, but France promised Prussia special privileges in the Romanian region.
Ummm…Anna fell into deep thought.
Strengthen France, weaken Austria, and dismantle the Holy Alliance were all goals that Anna hoped to achieve in the overall strategy, as they were prerequisites for the unification of Germany.
The direct effects of the secret letter are not important, what matters is the impact on the overall situation.
Accepting Napoleon III’s secret letter would speed up the overall strategic process, causing uncertainty. Anna needs to make adjustments based on the changing situation.
Anna is confident in understanding the new situation, unsure if the prince regent can trust her.
Whether agreeing or disagreeing with Napoleon III’s secret letter, the future outcome is the same, only the timing and risks differ. Honestly, Anna isn’t sure which choice is better, each has its pros and cons, it depends on the prince regent’s decision.
Anna’s secret letter was first sent through the military telegraph network to Minister of National Defense Ron, who immediately went to see the prince regent, coincidentally at a time when the prince regent was dealing with supporting Prince An Le.
Ron suggested not to focus on supporting Prince An Le, but on the more significant matter concerning Mrs. Bismarck.
The Prince Regent, who was previously relaxed, became serious and attentive after reading the secret letter. He placed the letter on the table and pondered with his hand supporting his chin.
"If we agree to the French-English secret letter, then… within a year after the end of the Russo-Turkish War, we have to start the war with Denmark, followed by 18 to 24 months after the end of the Denmark war, we will begin the war with Austria… after Austria ends…"
The prince regent asked Ron, "How is our military reform progressing?"
Ron said, "Most things are going well and smoothly. The only issue now is that the weapons and equipment are still being tested and developed. I don’t know when those military factories will finish. Another big challenge is the resistance to the three-year military service. If we can solve these two problems, everything will be fine."
The prince regent nodded. There’s no need to worry about the weapons and equipment. If we can develop advanced technology, great! But even without it, Prussia’s weapons and equipment are much better than other countries’.
Ron thinks he can’t handle the three-year military service reform, but Anna probably can.
All challenges are not a big deal as long as the prince regent wants to handle them. It’s just a matter of choice: to continue the current farming practices with caution or to start transitioning to German tanks now?
Is Prussia strong enough? Compared to the 1860s in Earth’s history, not yet. But compared to the current period, Prussia in the 1840s is much stronger. It might be worth taking a little risk…
What’s the safest choice: the absolutely safe plan, or the slightly risky but more reliable plan?
Leader One looked at Ron, Moltke, Catherine, Schultz, Freeman.
"I want to achieve my dream in midlife, not wait until I’m very old to wear the crown. What if someone tries to stop me from becoming king?"
"Your Highness, we will clear all enemies for you."
"Very well, tell Anna to agree to Napoleon’s secret message and bring back the victory to me."
