Chapter 210: Punishing the Traitors
Ever since Prime Minister Felix began his visit to the German states, the topic of unity has been hyped by the media. It seems like if you don’t discuss this topic for a day, you’ll be left behind by the world.
Especially after the failure of Felix’s visit to Bavaria, the impact has been even greater, and German nationalists have naturally been greatly disappointed.
Regardless of whether they agree with the Holy Roman Empire or not, they have to admit that this was the most likely solution to achieve unity in Germany.
When the Bavaria government’s unification proposal appeared, it was immediately transmitted to various parts of Germany by interested parties, causing a sensation.
Austria naturally disdained it; a tripartite balance of power required strength. Although the Kingdom of Prussia was only a medium-sized country, their military power had reached the level of great powers, even if barely qualifying in this aspect.
But what about Bavaria? On what basis do they deserve equal status, simply representing numerous small states? Who would agree to that?
If their strength was close to that of Prussia, then there was no argument; a tripartite balance of power was inevitable. There would be no need for Austria to expand westward, it would just calmly develop the Balkan Peninsula instead.
The Kingdom of Prussia was also not buying into the idea of a tripartite balance of power. They couldn’t gain any benefits from such a political system. Whether it was the Lesser Germany Plan or the North-South Germany Plan, both are more aligned with their interests than this plan.
The two major states were dissatisfied and laughed it off, at most ridiculing Bavaria’s government as overestimating their capabilities in the newspapers.
The small states in Germany were also in an uproar, being represented like this. Did they even agree to this?
Guided by the newspapers, public opinion instantly exploded. All sorts of critics emerged, as if they had to criticize Bavaria to feel at ease.
The Rheinische Zeitung (Rhenish Newspaper) published an article titled “Bavaria’s Ambitions,” which even published the strategic plan of Bavaria’s government to annex the various German states. The details were so meticulous, it seemed real.
Whether it was true or false, no one cared; everyone just wished to believe it was true. Otherwise, with so many states in Germany, how could it be a three-states cabinet?
If they can’t annex these states, why should they represent them in the empire?
It didn’t take long for someone to uncover Bavaria’s plan to split Germany and Italy in collusion with Britain, France and Russia in an attempt to kick Austria and Prussia out.
This was true because Britain and France did propose this suggestion, and the Bavarian government was willing to accept it. However, before it could begin, it was jointly suppressed by Austria and Prussia.
Even the Bavarian government had secretly supported this plan. However, its influence was too small, and was not even mainstream in the Kingdom of Bavaria, let alone spreading further.
Nowadays, what the media discovers is of course nonsense. For a newspaper that does not perform artistic processing, can they dare to call themselves journalists?
Franz did indeed provide funding. Without Austrian backing, so many German newspapers could not have coordinated such targeted assaults on Bavaria.
Of course, this likely also related to Bavarian leadership blunders, overvaluing Great Power backing.
Reliance on Great Powers was common among small nations. Over time, they inevitably became influenced by them.
People all have ambitions, and Maximilian II is no exception. Balancing between Austria and Prussia every day can become tiresome over time.
With Britain, France and Russia egging them on, such ambitions could no longer be restrained. Theoretically, Bavaria’s plans were not impossible either. Had history not changed, their tripartite German strategy could likely have become reality.
However, this diplomatic maneuver requires a relatively high level of difficulty, and the Kingdom of Bavaria needs to level up a bit, at least to possess an army of two hundred thousand elite soldiers.
Chances of success were frighteningly high if they could successfully ambush the Kingdom of Prussia after Prussian victory over Austria.
Anyway, Britain, France, and Russia will all support them. As long as they win this round, it’s their victory. The strategy of small countries relies on taking risks; if they don’t dare to take risks, how can they counterattack?
Possibilities were lower now with Austria not embarking on a ruinous path. Their current comprehensive strength was at least two Bavarias greater than in the same period in history, which was simply incomparable.
Regardless of whether there was a chance, dreams would always exist. Just like Franz still dreamed of unifying the entirety of Germany.
Unable to achieve this, they could only compromise with the Southern Germany strategy, instantly reducing difficulty to manageable levels.
Even the execution of the Southern Germany strategy had been divided. The first step was to take down Bavaria. If they could achieve this, then they could discuss the other plans; if not, everything would go down the drain.
Now, even Bavaria’s annexation strategy was appearing in newspapers, openly and boldly.
Step 1: Manufacture a justification to work with Prussia, Britain, France, and Russia to force Austria out of the German Confederation.
Step 2: Work with Britain, France and Russia to force Prussia out of the German Confederation.
Step 3: ...
No matter how ridiculous these plans were, everyone became furious. Weren’t the Bavarian government’s plans not an insult to everyone’s intelligence?
Even Maximilian II was angry. He swore to God with all his heart that he had absolutely nothing to do with such a childish plan.
Naturally, the current Bavarian government was unrelated either. Even if they considered this, it would at most be wild fantasies in their dreams! Who would dare put such content down in writing?
And even when framing them, shouldn’t things be somewhat credible? Step 1 of relying on foreign Great Powers to coerce Austria was already impossible to begin with.
As for the Prussians, they have their own motives, hoping to see Austria leave. The issue was who didn’t know of the bitter struggle between Britain and France versus Russia? What leverage did Bavaria possess to make them cooperate?
At least there should be some common interests, right? For example, if Austria angers everyone and faces joint resistance, but this hasn’t happened yet.
Could Bavaria cooperating with Prussia really force Austria to withdraw? This plan likely would have enraged Austria upon being proposed.
Does anyone believe in such a childish plan? The answer is: yes, and quite a few of them too.
At least Franz believed it, and so did the Austrian government. On April 11, 1853, the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a diplomatic note to the Bavarian government, warning them not to play with fire.
Public opinion was in an uproar, but most people still supported it. After all, Austria had only issued a diplomatic warning, which was quite satisfying for many small German states.
If Austria were to actually take military action, people’s views might change, as this reason was not convincing enough.
Franz was a good-tempered emperor. He would not rashly raise troops in anger. This only added another entry in the war justification notes after the warnings.
After being warned, the Bavarian government immediately clarified. The aforementioned situation was purely slander and they absolutely did not have any plans to partition Germany.
After this brief interlude, the third wave of opinion manipulation concluded.
The fourth wave soon began in May, with focus shifting to “how to unify Germany”.
This topic was extremely sensitive. Various governments shut their mouths. Only the public discussed things spiritedly. The most disappointed were the supporters of the Holy Roman Empire. They were the first to be eliminated.
The Bavarian government played the scapegoat and became the target of everyone’s anger. Of course, in the eyes of Maximilian II, this was worthwhile. Despite receiving a lot of criticism, they gained tangible benefits.
The three countries of Britain, France, and Russia issued public diplomatic statements, criticizing the rebuilding of the Holy Roman Empire as a destabilizing factor in the balance of Europe, and warning Austria not to play with fire.
Franz, however, was too lazy to read these statements. He casually tossed them into a corner, considering it done.
The Bavarian government, on the other hand, received high praise from the great powers. If not for the deep conflicts among Britain, France, and Russia, they would have personally stepped in to help Bavaria achieve its strategic goals.
Maximilian II probably didn’t believe this narrative; diplomatic words were just for show. If he really believed it, he should prepare to be disappointed!
On the surface, the Kingdom of Bavaria had the upper hand in this political chess game. Austria had just threatened them, and now they were warned by the great powers in turn.
Comparing all the scenarios, people reluctantly found that the most likely to succeed was the one that was eliminated first. The opportunity for the impressionable youth seemed to have arrived.
“When the door of peace closes, force will become the only choice, and Germany will eventually be unified.”
After this slogan was shouted, it quickly spread throughout Germany. The passionate and impressionable youth didn’t know what it meant but still went along in shouting it.
This instantly frightened many people, especially the governments of various small states. They were the most worried about the prospect of using force to unify Germany.
While the rebuilding of the Holy Roman Empire still ensured the interests of the many small states, once it turned into a military unification of the entire nation, undoubtedly, they would be the ones to be assimilated.
National unity achieved through bloodshed naturally meant eliminating these reactionary elements disrupting the unity of the country. The smell of gunpowder in Germany grew thicker by the day.
The moment Franz bitterly awaited finally arrived. The support of the masses was already in place. Everyone reluctantly accepted the reality of military unification of Germany.
This was not the time to delay. The people’s fiery passion couldn’t be sustained indefinitely. If they waited until the people cooled down, it would be too late.
Within the Austrian government, the war faction’s influence began to rise. On June 1, 1853, Prime Minister Felix delivered a speech at the National Assembly in Vienna, known as the Iron Curtain Speech.
“After our continuous efforts, the plan to unify Germany through peaceful means, undermined by the collusion of domestic and foreign enemies, has ultimately ended in failure.
But Germany will eventually be unified; this is the mission history has bestowed upon us.
At this moment, perhaps we should adopt a different approach to achieve national unification.
Great Germany has been filled with iron and blood since its birth, and now we have no other choice.
Since someone has forced us into this path, let’s use iron and blood to sweep away this decaying world and forge a new glory for the empire!
...”
Everyone knew Austria had undergone a transformation. The Prime Minister of the peace faction has become part of the war faction, with Austria’s national policy undergoing a significant change.
In the following days, high-ranking officials in Austria delivered speeches echoing similar sentiments, and the entire Austrian government shifted to a political stance supporting war.
In summary: We love peace, but we love Germany more. For the unity of Germany, we are ready for war.
These public statements instantly stirred up public opinion in Germany, and many people suddenly realized, was war imminent?
Not making everyone wait for long, on June 5, 1853, Franz published his “Letter to the German People.”
“Peace is dead, and there is only one path left for the unity of Germany, and that is war.
History has bestowed a responsibility that I cannot evade because of my deep love for this land and country.
To prevent the fragmentation of Germany, we must eliminate any attempt to divide Germany.
Now, with God as my witness, I have decided to eliminate traitors, to eradicate a decadent regime conspiring with foreign enemies, attempting to divide Germany.
…”
Regardless of whether everyone believed it or not, Franz firmly believed that the Bavarian government conspired with Britain, France, and Russia, attempting to divide Germany.
The “Letter to the German People” was a declaration of war. While Franz was making the announcement, the Austrian government had already delivered a declaration of war to Bavaria.
The cover of the war declaration boldly stated: “Exterminating Traitors of the Country.”
The Bavarian government, still not realizing what had happened, was dumbfounded. The change in Austria’s stance happened too quickly.
Not long ago, the great powers collectively warned Austria. Under normal circumstances, they would not resort to the use of force under such circumstances.
Maximilian II, without the time to investigate why, decisively ordered, “Immediately seek assistance from Britain, France, and Russia. Ask them to intervene. Domestically, immediately carry out a national mobilization and simultaneously request assistance from the German states to send troops for support immediately.”
Prime Minister Karl von Abel supplemented: “Your Majesty, we must immediately clarify externally that we absolutely cannot acknowledge the charges Austria has imposed on us; otherwise, it will be disastrous!”
Military issues can be addressed, even if there’s a defeat, with the intervention of the great powers, there’s still a chance to retain political power. But political failure would doom them regardless of whether Austrians were driven away or not.
Foreign Minister Karl Ludwig von der Pfordten cried out: “Not good! Austria plotted this, and we have fallen into their trap!”
Maximilian II urgently asked, “What’s going on? Speak!”
Foreign Minister Karl Ludwig von der Pfordten’s expression darkened as he bitterly smiled and said: “Your Majesty, public opinion is extremely unfavorable to us. With the string of preceding incidents, we have been tied together with Britain, France and Russia already.
I fear many German citizens now see us as traitors to the nation colluding with foreign powers. Even if we try to explain, it’s unlikely to reverse this situation in a short time.
Austria has significant influence in Bavaria. If the citizens believe us as traitors then I fear…”
Everyone understood before he could finish speaking. At this moment, if Britain, France, and Russia intervene, it proves collusion between the Bavarian government and them. If they don’t intervene, Austria could easily swallow Bavaria.
It’s a dilemma — either choice leads to a pitfall. The question is, which one to jump into.
Maximilian II gritted his teeth and said, “We can’t worry about that now, let’s get through this current crisis first.
The Austrians probably took the risk because they anticipated that Britain, France, and Russia are locked in a fierce battle and may not coordinate their actions to interfere with them.
But they don’t know that we have agreements with Britain, France, and Russia, and they will definitely intervene. A unified German Empire is too terrifying; no European power can tolerate such a situation.
If Austria acts now, it’s equivalent to getting themselves out of the game. We must seize this opportunity to kick them out of Germany!”
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