Chapter 210: The Road of No Return

Munich

Maximilian I hadn't slept well since learning that Felix's trip to Deutschland put his last stop in the kingdom of Bavaria.

The previous states can practice Tai Chi and delay time. As the last state, what can they do?

There is no doubt that the states hope that Bavaria can stand up to stop Austria's actions. As the leader of the small states, Bavaria cannot escape.

Especially after Maximi I came to power, the three-pronged strategy implemented by Bavaria forced Bavaria to the corner.

The relationship between the Kingdom of Prussia and everyone was estranged, and Frederick William IV pretended to be confused without pressure, and he was not afraid of offending people anyway.

Bavaria is different. Since you want to be the leader of the small states, you have to get ahead now. Whether supporting the Austrian plan or opposing Austria is better than pretending to be an ostrich.

Maximi I said cautiously: "Everyone, Felix will arrive in Munich soon, and there is not much time left for us. Today we have to make a choice."

This is the price that must be paid for the diplomatic mistakes in the past. The Prussians have fooled them and thrown out a three-point German strategy, which has offended many small states.

At this time, the Bavarian government could either rely on Austria, and everyone would establish the Holy Roman Group together and become a minority shareholder.

Or, stop Austria's plan, send out the inner voice for many German states, and regain everyone's support. In any case, it is interests that maintain state relations, and as long as the interests are consistent, we are friends.

Bavarian Prime Minister August analyzed: "Your Majesty, it is easy to stop the Austrian plan, but the consequences are very serious.

First of all, we will severely offend Austria, and it will be difficult to restore the friendly relations between the two countries; secondly, the domestic people are not easy to deal with, and now most people hope that the German region will be peacefully reunified.

Although we all know that the German region cannot really be unified, as the person who closed the door in person, we will be condemned by public opinion. "

August had already sensed the danger. After the disbandment of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austrians created the German Federal Parliament, the purpose of which was to stop the French invasion.

Unexpectedly, the French have settled down for decades, and Austria's efforts have been in vain. Now that the French have been re-armed, the western front in Bavaria is no longer safe enough.

At this time, if you don't have a good relationship with the Austrians in the east, maybe disaster will come. Who will let Maximilian I succeed in the throne?

Ambition needs the support of strength. The tripartite confrontation in Germany is what Britain, France and Russia are most looking forward to. There is no shortage of international support. Unfortunately, the strength of the Kingdom of Bavaria is limited and cannot implement the plan.

In theory, the strength of the Kingdom of Bavaria is twice as strong, and with the support of the great powers, it can almost work hard.

Now that Maximilian I worked too early, his own strength was insufficient, and after losing the support of many small states, their right to speak in the federation became dispensable.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Barzel objected: "Prime Minister, these pressures can be resisted. Once the Austrian conditions were accepted, the Holy Roman Empire was resurrected.

Today is different from the past. Now that nationalism has awakened, the central government is no longer an optional rubber stamp. They can use public opinion to pressure us to make concessions.

Austria was originally the largest state in the German region. No matter in terms of population, territorial area, or even economy, they are almost the same as all our states combined.

They have obtained the power of the central government, and when the time comes, we will have to make concessions.

Maybe at first, just unifying the currency and abolishing tariffs, it seems that we don't have to pay much.

But over time, you will find that military command, financial power, and diplomatic power will all fall into the hands of the central government. At most, we are a highly autonomous government. "

This is a matter of time, any central government will find a way to collect power.

However, many German states are not monolithic, such as those free cities, they do not mind becoming highly autonomous regions, which is a good thing for the capitalists.

Most of the small states are able to make concessions to a much larger extent. In their view, it is a tasteless right, and it is indeed a real benefit for the big states.

In this respect, the royal family has suffered the most. There is an extra emperor on it, and it is no longer supreme. If certain policies are not popular with the people, they can go to the central government to complain.

Under the attack from inside and outside, it won't be long before the royal family's rights are running out. Even the government with the cabinet will gradually degenerate into the provincial government, and its power will be greatly reduced.

Therefore, the bureaucratic groups of various states are staunch opposition.

Prime Minister Auguste shook his head and said: "Mr. Bazel, I think you have misunderstood. I'm just against standing up directly against Austria, not that we're going to support them.

We don't want to see so many people reappearing in the Holy Roman Empire. Do we need to jump out and fight for hatred? Why should everyone get the benefits together, and the black pot should be carried by our family?

Our current position should be consistent with that of most states. If no one objected to the Austrian plan, neither did we.

Drag all the state governments down, either we all oppose the rebuilding of the Holy Roman Empire, or we all return to the age of empires. "

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, I'm afraid it's not so easy, now all the German states want us to come forward, just

Even Britain, France and Russia want us to stand up against it.

I'm afraid it's impossible to get away with it, at least we can't explain it diplomatically. ' objected Foreign Secretary Buckhouse

Simply put, even if Bavaria wants to back down, there are many bosses who are forcing them to rush forward. The Bavarian government is not so arrogant yet, treating the opinions of the great powers as toilet paper.

Maximilian I frowned. Why did everyone put pressure on the Austrians for what they did, not bullying the persimmons.

The Kingdom of Prussia did not want to stand out, so it pushed the Kingdom of Bavaria forward; Britain and France could not scare Austria, nor could they influence the decision-making of the Prussian government, so they caught them and bullied them.

The Russians pushed them out to oppose it entirely to cause trouble for Austria and delay the unification of the allies.

All factors put together, the Bavarian government was pushed to the forefront by everyone. In the face of diplomatic pressure, even Prime Minister August, who was fiercely opposed, had to admit it.

With the support of foreign powers, the Kingdom of Bavaria can maintain its status in the federation. In essence, they are only a small country, and their comprehensive national strength is comparable to Belgium.

But a small country is a small country, with limited land and few people, and it has to rely on a big country to survive.

This is also the reason why Maximilian I wanted to integrate many small German states. Only when these small states are brought together can they be a medium state and have the ability to be independent.

As long as the middle country develops well, it is also a small power, just like the Kingdom of Prussia now, with the national strength of the middle country, has stepped into the threshold of the great powers.

In order to do this, Bavaria must first obtain the support of the foreign powers. Without Britain, France and Russia suppressing Austria and Prussia, how could Bavaria have the opportunity to integrate many small German states?

At the time of the great collision of ideas, Maxim I also proposed a small German plan with Bavaria as the core, but unfortunately even the Bavarian people lacked interest.

The reason is very simple - it is too small and does not meet the expectations of everyone's "big country dream".

As long as it is a nation whose ancestors have passed away, there is a dream of a great country, how can the German people not have it? Since it is the dream of a great power, it must be big enough, which is why Austria is now popular.

The new version of the Holy Roman Empire is really big enough. Once established, it will have an area of ​​more than 1.1 million square kilometers, surpassing the next-door neighbor, the French, in all aspects.

The contradiction between Germany and France is the result of the Habsburg dynasty and the French fighting for hundreds of years. The Franco-Prussian War in history is just a continuation of this contradiction.

Beyond the French, it also contains the special feelings of the Germans. This is also the reason why Prussia can integrate the loose German state after the Franco-Prussian War.

Everyone's vanity was satisfied, national pride appeared, and the sense of identity with this country also went up, and then Germany changed from a regional term to a country.

Maximilian I sneered and said: "Since everyone wants Bavaria and Austria to be enemies, then we can only go on.

This is also an opportunity. As long as we stand up against Austria, we can get the support of the foreign powers, then integrating the states in the German region is no longer a dream.

Britain, France and Russia do not want to see a behemoth German Empire appear. Our plan is in their interests, and with their support, the possibility of final success is very high. "

His arms couldn't touch his thighs, so Maximi I pinched his nose and recognized it. He was still imagining a bright future, but he didn't know that he had stepped into the road of no return.