Chapter 219: Poor Franz
Since the twelve countries jointly intervened in the German unification process, all of Germany has fallen into a slump, as if the sky had fallen. Even the most radical nationalists have given up hope of unifying Germany.
To reassure the people, the Austrian government continued to post reassuring notices in the areas under its control, stating that the Austrian government was still making the final diplomatic efforts to realize the unification of the German territories as much as possible, while incidentally criticizing the Kingdom of Prussia for being an opportunist.
This, too, was futile. Everyone could only curse the Prussian government and wait for the final verdict of the Paris Conference.
Campus of University of Munich
One young student said indignantly: “We can’t just wait, we have to do something!”
A young man beside him quickly grabbed his right arm and comforted him: “Bayer, don’t do anything stupid. At the moment we can only rely on the Austrian government for diplomatic mediation. Now Prime Minister Felix has gone to London, and Mr. Metternich has also gone to Paris.
It is said that His Majesty Franz will also visit St. Petersburg. The Austrian government is making great efforts to unify Germany.
What can you do now? Besides making trouble, can you make these countries change their attitude?”
Bayer wrenched his arm from his companion’s hand and said, “Schwarz, I can’t help it. Even if we can’t do anything, we can organize a demonstration to show them our determination to unite!”
“Hmph!”
Schwarz snorted coldly and said, “Don’t be stupid, Bayer. Even if, as the newspapers say, all the people in the German territories came out to protest together at this time, it would not have the slightest effect.
The British government cannot see it, the French government cannot see it, and the Russian government cannot see it. All the European governments cannot see it.
What we have to do now is to make Germany stronger, strong enough so that they don’t even dare to interfere in our internal affairs, and then the German territories can achieve unification.
Even now, Austria, the most powerful state in the German territories, cannot muster the courage to fight against the intervention of the European countries!
Protest marches cannot increase national strength. They have no practical significance except to slow down our development and disturb social order.
They all “hated” that the German territories were not strong enough. Even with the many states added together, they could not withstand the collective pressure of the great powers.
Bayer cursed angrily, “It’s all because of those Prussian barbarians. If they hadn’t acted like a bunch of idiots, the situation wouldn’t be so passive now.
Great Britain, France, and Russia are at war. This is the best opportunity for Germany to unite, but these bastards sided with Britain, France, and Russia and betrayed the interests of the German territories!”
After Austria occupied this territory, the Kingdom of Prussia became a daily propaganda tool. Especially after Prussia appeared on the list of intervening countries, they could never clear their name again.
As discontent simmered, Prussia became a convenient target for venting anger. Traitors, after all, have always caused more outrage than enemies.
The Prussian government should have been prepared to be scolded for this decision. Anyway, they didn’t have any plans in Southern Germany anymore, so it didn’t matter if they had the support of the people or not.
There was no need to explain it at all because there was no way to explain it. They cannot say: If the Kingdom of Prussia does not join the Intervention Alliance, the remaining North German States will merge into one country, and they will not benefit at all, right?
What about cooperating with Austria to unify the German territories? Frederick William IV was no fool. Playing politics with the Habsburgs is just asking for trouble, isn’t it?
What the House of Hohenzollern did best was martial strength. If each brought an army to train, Frederick William IV could proudly say that he was miles ahead of Franz at leading troops into battle.
It had to be admitted that genetics sometimes played a role. The House of Hohenzollern had produced several famous generals, and the Prussian kings were generally quite good at fighting.
Because he was not very good at political struggles, Wilhelm II was soon deposed by his subordinates after the outbreak of World War I, while the House of Habsburg was brought to ruin by their heirs.
Even the last emperor, who was a clown, almost saved the empire, but Wilson’s “Fourteen Points” stimulated the outbreak of nationalism and caused the downfall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
This could also be seen now. Since the Kingdom of Prussia had joined the ranks of the intervening countries, nationalist dissatisfaction with the Prussian government had reached its peak.
If it were Franz, he would rather choose to join with Austria to invade and carve up the German territories together. After that, he would have to give the appearance of uniting with Austria before splitting up under pressure from the Great Powers.
If they take advantage of this opportunity, they can swallow Northern Germany in one bite under the banner of unification, and if they offend the British, they can drag Austria along with them to share the blame.
In any case, it will happen sooner or later. For the Kingdom of Prussia to develop, it would inevitably have to annex Northern Germany, so Hanover could not be left alone.
Hanover was important. Apart from interests, as the Queen’s hometown, it was also a matter of face for Britain. How could the already arrogant John Bull stand to be slapped in the face?
Since this was the case, it would be nice to share some of the pressure, what a wonderful excuse German unification would be!
This would increase external pressure, but internally it could win the support of the people and make the government more stable. While the pros and cons for the country were still difficult to determine, it was the best choice for the king.
Napoleon III was an expert at this. To consolidate his throne, he did not hesitate to fight the Russians in the Near East.
From the point of view of national interests, the French needed only to defend Constantinople. There was no need to continue fighting in the Crimean Peninsula.
After winning several battles on the Crimean Peninsula in history, Napoleon III resolutely negotiated with the Russians after receiving personal political benefits.
……
A light breeze brushed Franz’s face as he poked his head out of the window to enjoy the beautiful weather.
At this time, he was on his way to St. Petersburg, ostensibly to ask the Russian government for diplomatic support in the unification of the German territories.
His visit to Russia this time had nothing to do with these negotiations. It was purely political.
Although he knew that German unification was impossible this time, Franz, as Emperor of Austria, still had to do his utmost to at least let the German people see that he had tried.
In mid-July, Franz set out on his journey from Vienna, traveling by coach to St. Petersburg. Austrian domestic transportation was still barely adequate, and Franz even took a train.
After entering the Russian Empire, he didn’t bother to complain. If it were not for his healthy body, he might not even have made it to St. Petersburg, having been shaken from side to side on the way.
What Franz missed most at this moment was the era of airplanes and trains. In later times, the trip from Vienna to St. Petersburg would take two or three hours at most by plane and only a day by train.
But in this era, it would take months to travel 1,583 kilometers.
Fortunately, after crossing Poland, he could travel by ship to save a lot of time. Otherwise, if he went all the way by carriage, he would still be halfway there by the time the Paris Conference began.
He could have gone through the German territories to get to St. Petersburg, whether he sailed up the Rhine to get through or down the Elbe to the North Sea.
Unfortunately, both routes had to pass through the Kingdom of Prussia. At the time, politics required that Austria and Prussia be at odds with each other, so Franz could only go through Poland.
It happened to be the flood season on the Vistula, and navigation was very dangerous. For the sake of his life, Franz decided to take it slow.
After all, it was his first and last time doing this. Before railways spanned across the two countries, he would not visit St. Petersburg again. This distance was simply murder.
When would the railroad from St. Petersburg to Vienna be ready? He would have to ask the Russians; at Austria’s rate of development, the national rail network would probably be completed in another 20 years.
As for the Russian Empire, it was impossible to complete the railroad network in this century, perhaps it could be achieved in the next century.
Although the journey was bumpy, the scenery along the way was very good. It was full of nature, especially in Russia, where there were not many factories spewing black smoke around.
Occasionally, when they passed a scenic spot, Franz would stop and take a look. It served as a pastime during the trip.
Franz’s entourage would now advance 30 kilometers a day, stopping to rest on rainy days. Continuing in the rain was out of the question. He was a benevolent emperor who would not arbitrarily make life difficult for the people.
When receiving guests, the Russian government was still very attentive to etiquette, strictly adhering to arrangements befitting the treatment of an emperor. Although Franz brought with him a regiment of guards, the Russians did not raise an eyebrow.
On that day, the accompanying Russian representative, Count Medevis, went to the front of the carriage and asked: “Your Majesty, the Vistula River ahead is now navigable. Do you think we should take the water route?”
The change was a must. Whoever was willing to sit in that carriage should do so!
Franz casually found an excuse and said, “You make the arrangements. We’re in a hurry!”
……
Franz soon regretted it. It turned out that traveling by water was no fun in this era, especially since he was seasick.
Sailing along the river was still okay. Franz did not feel much as they stopped frequently in harbors. Once they were out at sea, it was a different story. The wind and waves at sea were worlds apart from the inland rivers.
The first day at sea went well. He managed to get through it with his strong physique. On the second day, his complexion turned pale. On the third day, he began to vomit.
After he threw up, the tour was delayed again while everyone hurried to the nearest port. By this time, the entourage had already arrived in Estonia. The distance to St. Petersburg was not far.
It couldn’t be helped. The Emperor’s life was precious, so no one dared be careless. Even though the accompanying doctor knew that this was just a normal reaction to seasickness, he still stopped so that Franz could recover for three days before setting off again.
For the rest of the journey, they had to slow down, of course. They had to dock at almost every port. Franz would rest on land every night.
After all the twists and turns, Franz finally arrived in St. Petersburg, having lost a lot of weight.
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