Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 467
Chapter 467: Chapter 40, Wanting to be a Fisherman but Can’t
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It’s not just the French who wanted to be the fisherman; after the outbreak of the Anglo-Ebura War, Prussia was also itching to make a move.
However, Wilhelm I was more cautious, not rushing to make his presence felt. Although the Anglo-Austrian two countries were at it in South Africa, that was all done covertly; on the surface, they were “friendly nations”.
The fact that they hadn’t torn each other’s faces off meant that there was always room for compromise. Wilhelm I did not believe the South African issue was an insurmountable knot between the two countries.
But his view wasn’t necessarily that of the Berlin Government. The Junker nobles, who could hardly contain themselves, had already started to stir.
Prime Minister Maoqi said excitedly, “Your Majesty, this is an excellent opportunity. With the conflict between the Anglo-Austrian two countries breaking out, and the French’s attention focused on the Italian Area,
this is the time when no one can restrict us from making a move on the German Federation Empire. The opportunity to unify Northern Germany has come.”
Unifying Northern Germany was of vital importance to Prussia. Once it had annexed the German Federation Empire, it would no longer be three major powers dominating the European Continent, but four.
Even though Prussia had defeated the Russian Empire by now, they were still ranked behind the Russians in everyone’s mind.
They were recognized as a member of the great powers’ club, but only as a second-tier power, having a certain say but lacking the influence to dominate the situation in Europe.
It wasn’t just a problem of prestige; it was due to actual strength. Whether it was economic or military might, the Kingdom of Prussia was still not on par with England and France and Austria.
After defeating the Russians, the Junker aristocracy was brimming with confidence. If it hadn’t been for the huge losses in the war and the fact that they hadn’t yet recovered, they would not have been this compliant.
To change this situation, unifying Northern Germany was the best choice. Of course, being able to annex Poland would be even more perfect.
Prime Minister Maoqi—at least his IQ was online—wasn’t foolish enough to want to accomplish both at the same time. With Prussia’s limited power, trying to take care of both would only result in a mess.
Wilhelm I directly asked, “My prime minister, do you think the South African region is important to Austria, or is the Germany Region more important to Austria?”
You don’t even have to think about it to know that clearly, the Germany Region is more important. Even if the gold mines in South Africa had been discovered, they still couldn’t compare to the importance of the Germany Region for Austria.
Politically, it was decided that Franz could not abandon the Germany Region. Even if it was impossible to unify Germany, the call for unification was still necessary.
This related to the legitimacy of the Shinra Empire. The Vienna Government couldn’t let go easily, otherwise, they would have no way to explain it to their citizens.
Maoqi replied, “Naturally, the Germany Region is more important, but judging by the Vienna Government’s behavior, they don’t seem to be too keen on the German Federation.
Had they truly wanted to annex the German Federation Empire, they wouldn’t have waited until now. They could’ve made their move years ago when we were in a bitter fight with the Russians.”
This was a fact. At that time, with Prussia holding down the Russians, Austria could have taken the German Federation Empire. Only the French could have intervened.
And the French were eyeing the Italian Area. With a swap of interests between France and Austria, the chance of annexing the German Federation was very high.
Wilhelm I picked up the baton and pointed at the map of Europe on the wall, saying, “The Vienna Government not making a move doesn’t mean they will sit by while we do.
Marshal, you are a military expert. The strategic situation Austria would face if it swallowed up the German Federation, I trust you understand all too well.
Simply from a defense perspective, the current situation is most advantageous for Austria. The Russians to the east are licking their wounds, the Ottoman Empire to the south is on its last leg, and us to the north aren’t a threat to them.
With the Alps as a barrier, it’s also hard for the French to make a move. For the French to attack Austria, they would either have to attack from the Italian Area or go through Belgium and the Rhineland region.
The French are still busy annexing the Italian Area, so it could be said that the situation there won’t be stable for the next twenty years. If the French attack Austria from the Italian Area, they have to consider the guerrillas within their borders.
As for passing through, that’s even less likely. The least of all, we don’t have the guts to let the French pass through, and the French can’t trust us enough to do so; they’d rather fight their way through.
The likelihood of a major war breaking out between France and Austria has been reduced to the lowest possibility, lower even than the odds of us and the French going to war.
Once the German Federation Empire is occupied, this strategic advantage would instantly disappear. Not only would there be threats from the French, but also from the British at sea.
Leaving aside military threats, do the current Austrians really need the German Federation?
There are more than twenty sub-states within the German Federation Empire. If they were to annex them, isn’t the Vienna Government afraid that the Imperial Parliament would become too lively?”
The last reason is key to the issue. With so many sub-states joining the Shinra Empire, they would have more votes in the Imperial Parliament than Austria, which would weaken the Central Government’s control over the sub-states.
Not to mention strategic concerns, even without those the political repercussions alone would deter anyone from making a move.
Back in the day when Franz reorganized Shinra, it was out of necessity. With insufficient strength in Austria and seriously lacking in numbers of their main nationality, compromise was the only option.
Years have gone by, and after a series of measures like compulsory education, planned cross-immigration, and assimilation, domestic ethnic tensions have largely been resolved.
At this point, the Vienna Government naturally wouldn’t want to add a bunch of sub-states. Otherwise, they wouldn’t need to resort to force, as the German Federation would have come of their own accord.
Following the principle of at least one vote for each sub-state, the many small states of the German Federation Empire could become the masters of the empire simply by virtue of their numerical advantage in votes.
How could such a good thing be possible? Not only would Austria not agree, but the several sub-states within the country wouldn’t agree either.
The empire has developed to this stage with everyone contributing. It was already not easy to share these benefits. To hand over rights, no one would agree!
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The Vienna Government is concerned about appearances and would not openly break the promise made in the past, so the issue was dragged on. However, if they themselves don’t take action, they also won’t allow others to do so.
Wilhelm I estimated that the moment they made their move, Austria would immediately jump out to steal the fruits of their labor. It would be perfect for the Austrians if they did away with the government of these Sub-States, as Austria could then directly turn these areas into provinces or cities under its direct control.
The Kingdom of Prussia is now bereft of the strength to wage a war like the first one. Even if it mustered the courage to challenge Austria, it would first have to consider whether the Russians would stab them in the back and worry about France possibly kicking them while they were down.
In the absence of Bismarck, these troublesome matters gave Wilhelm I endless headaches, forcing him to personally take the field.
The struggle for power is brutal. The military’s influence is too great, and now, even as King, Wilhelm I did not have absolute authority.
The Kingdom of Prussia was not lacking in talent, but promoting these individuals proved extremely difficult, with many becoming mere staff of the King.
Recently, Wilhelm I wanted to promote a civilian to the position of Foreign Minister, but this was met with opposition from the Junker aristocracy, for a very simple reason: “No merit to the country.”
This reason was something even Wilhelm I could not refute. The system of appointing officials based on merit was copied from Austria by the Junker nobles, who then modified it.
Austria assessed an official’s performance in governance, but Prussia looked directly at merit, where both governance achievements and military merits were considered. Under these rules of the game, a large number of Junker nobles held high positions.
Having just won against the Russians, the Junker nobles had plenty of military merits, and most of the government’s power fell into their hands.
The Prime Minister and all the Ministers were of Junker nobility descent, which inevitably weakened Wilhelm I’s power.
If Wilhelm I hadn’t acted first, by undermining and disintegrating the Junker nobility and causing their group to split into several factions, he would have already become a rubber stamp by now.
They were the elite of the time. Despite their political acumen not being up to snuff, once the issues were laid out in the open, Marshal Maoqi still quickly grasped the situation.
Seeing Maoqi’s complexion drastically change, Wilhelm I was very pleased. It was precisely because of Maoqi’s talents in the military and limited capabilities in politics that he had appointed Maoqi as the Prime Minister.
Otherwise, how could he have divided the Junker aristocracy? Now, Prussia found itself in a strange loop where many with outstanding military capabilities held government positions.
Of course, those with exceptional political acumen did not enter the military; Wilhelm I would not commit such an act of self-sabotage.
After a moment of silence, Wilhelm I added, “The focus of the government’s work is now economic development. Prussia has just come out of war, the nation is in need of revitalization, and the people need rest.
In recent years, Russia has also undergone social reforms. To raise funds, Alexander II even went as far as defaulting on debts.
This enemy is very formidable, and we cannot afford to let our guard down for a moment. In no more than twenty years, there will inevitably be a war between Prussia and Russia.”
Shifting the topic was extremely successful, as the Russians made an outstanding contribution to the unity and stability of the Kingdom of Prussia. Only in the face of this formidable adversary could Prussian society unite as never before.
The Prusso-Russian conflict had become inextricable, and Wilhelm I had no plans to reconcile with Russia; handing over problems to them was undoubtedly the right move.
This reason convinced everyone in the Cabinet. To provoke Austria and offend England while at enmity with Russia would simply be a death wish.
Indeed, the British were also opposed to Prussia’s annexation of the German Federation Empire. England and France together were enough to keep the London Government busy, and the British could not handle another powerful Prussia.
Moreover, the British had significant interests in the German Federation, and as long as Austria showed no interest in intervention, they were quite content to maintain this junior ally.
In fact, any annexation on the European Continent posed a threat to Britain. Constrained by the small size of their homeland, the London Government could not afford to allow any potential unification of Europe to take place.
In an effort to lighten the mood, Finance Minister Roon suggested, “Your Majesty is right; our financial situation is very bleak, and we are just a step away from bankruptcy.
With this default, Russia has not only lost international credibility, but they have also lost nearly all of their international markets.
We cannot afford the cost of this outcome; it is critical to develop the economy now, and the government must formulate more proactive economic policies.”
Despite their military background and lack of familiarity with political affairs, the situation in the Kingdom of Prussia was quite stable, nonetheless.
They simply brought the management style of the military over to the governance of the nation. The consequences of this remain to be seen, but at least in the short term, positive effects have been achieved.
In less than three years after the end of the war, the Kingdom of Prussia overcame its difficulties. Of course, war booty also played a significant role as a stimulant, or else their recovery would not have been nearly as rapid.
Now, the Kingdom of Prussia has not only escaped a food crisis but has also transitioned from a grain importer to an exporter.
In the industrial sector, significant achievements have been made, especially in the military industry. Stimulated by the war, the Prussian military-industrial system underwent an overhaul and rose to the top tier in the world.
Economically, during the post-war recovery period, the Kingdom of Prussia also maintained high growth rates. However, as time passed, the rate of economic growth gradually slowed.
The enormous debt became a significant factor constraining the continued development of the Kingdom of Prussia. The Berlin Government had to devote over half of its annual revenue to repaying foreign debts.
Although this ratio is continuously decreasing, it still leaves Prussian finances on the brink of bankruptcy. If they could afford the consequences of defaulting, they would have already followed Russia’s lead.
Of course, the Polish people also made significant contributions behind the scenes. They generously provided industrial raw materials and product sales markets.
Otherwise, Prussia’s economic recovery would not have been so rapid.
