Chapter 210: Chapter 97: National Traitor

Translator: 549690339

Ever since Prime Minister Felix visited the German States, the topic of unification has been heatedly hyped by the media. It’s as if one would be eliminated from this world for not discussing this topic daily.

Particularly after Felix’s Bavarian mission ended in failure, the impact was even bigger, and naturally, German nationalism was greatly disappointed.

Regardless of whether they agreed with the Shinra Empire or not, they had to admit that this was the most likely plan to achieve unification in the German Region.

When the Bavarian Government’s unification plan emerged, it was immediately spread to all corners of Germany by interested parties, causing a sensation.

Austria naturally scorned this, as a tripod’s stability still depends on strength. The Kingdom of Prussia, though only a medium-sized country, had military power on par with great powers and barely qualified for this status.

But what about Bavaria? On what basis were they achieving an equal standing; simply by representing the many small German states? Who had agreed to this?

If their strength was close to that of Prussia, then there would be nothing to say—the tripod balance would be inevitable. Austria wouldn’t need to expand westward and could just honestly manage the Balkan Peninsula

The Kingdom of Prussia wasn’t convinced either; a tripartite political system offered them no benefits. Whether it was the Lesser Germany plan or the North and South Germanic plan, both suited their interests better than this proposal.

The two major states were merely dissatisfied and let it pass with a laugh—at most, they mocked the Bavarian Government’s overestimation of themselves in newspapers.

The small states of the German Region were in an uproar—were they just represented like that, had they agreed to this?

Provoked by newspapers, public opinion exploded instantly. Trolls of all sorts emerged, as if they wouldn’t be comfortable without denigrating Bavaria once.

The Rhine River Daily directly published an article titled “The Ambition of Bavaria,” even posting the Bavarian Government’s strategy plan for annexing each German nation. The details were so meticulous it seemed genuine.

Real or not, nobody cared; everyone simply wished to believe it was true. Otherwise, how could there be a Three Countries Cabinet in a region with so many German states?

If they couldn’t annex these states, on what grounds could they represent them in the Empire?

It wasn’t long before someone dug up Bavaria’s plot to collude with England, France, and Russia in an attempt to kick Austria and Prussia out of the German plan.

This was true, as England and France had indeed made such a suggestion, and the Bavarian Government was willing to accept it. However, it was strangled in the cradle by a joint intervention from Austria and Prussia before it could even begin.

Even the Bavarian Government had secretly supported this theory. Only its influence was too small; it couldn’t even become mainstream within the Kingdom of Bavaria, let alone be promoted elsewhere.

Now that the media had dug this up, they were naturally talking nonsense. Without a touch of artistic license, how can newspapers have the audacity to call themselves journalists?

Franz admitted that he had paid; without the Austrian Government’s funding, it would’ve been impossible for so many newspapers in the German Region to uniformly criticize Bavaria.

Of course, there was also the matter of the Bavarian Government’s misjudgment in their decision-making process; they had taken great power support too seriously.

This is a common problem for small countries; they must act according to the whims of great powers, accumulating inevitable influence over time.

People are ambitious, and Maximilian II was no exception. Tiring of playing balance between Austria and Prussia every day, over time, it became wearisome.

The encouragement from England, France, and Russia released these ambitions. Theoretically, Bavaria’s plan was not without chances of success—had history not changed, the idea of partitioning Germany into three could have very well become a reality.

However, the diplomatic maneuver required a high level of skill, and the Kingdom of Bavaria also needed to have a cheat code of sorts—possessing at least two hundred thousand elite troops.

As long as they could successfully ambush the Kingdom of Prussia after its defeat of Austria, Bavaria’s strategy would have succeeded, and this success rate was somewhat frightening.

After all, England, France, and Russia would support them, as long as they win this round, it’s a victory. The strategy of small countries relies on taking a gamble; how can one counterattack if they dare not risk?

Now, the chances of success are even lower. Austria hasn’t embarked on a road to ruin, and its comprehensive strength is at least twice that of Bavaria’s compared to the same historical period; there’s simply no comparison.

No matter if there’s a chance or not, one should always dream. Isn’t Franz still dreaming of unifying the entire Germany Region?

Because it’s truly unattainable, one has to settle for the next best thing, enforcing the South Germany plan, and instantly, the difficulty drops to a controllable range.

Even when implementing the South German strategy, they still broke it down, with the first step being to take down Bavaria. Only after accomplishing this can other matters be discussed; otherwise, everything would be futile.

There it is, Bavaria’s fragmented strategy has also emerged, even brazenly appearing in the newspapers.

The first step is to fabricate an excuse to kick Austria out of the German Federation together with Prussia, England, France, and Russia;

The second step is to unite with England, France, and Russia to kick Prussia out of the German Federation;

The third step…

Regardless of how absurd these plans are, people were still outraged. Aren’t the plans of the Bavarian Government an insult to everyone’s intelligence?

Even Maximilian II was angry. He dared to swear to God that he had absolutely nothing to do with such a childish plan.

Of course, the Bavarian Government was also not involved. Even if such thoughts existed, they should only remain in dreams. Who would dare to put such content on paper?

And even if they were fabricating, shouldn’t the lies at least be somewhat credible? The first step of forcing Austria out with the help of the great powers is simply not feasible.

The Prussians, without a doubt, would love to see Austria go. But who doesn’t know that England and France are at loggerheads with Mao Xiong, intense battles have erupted, so how could Bavaria possibly unite them?

There must at least be some common interests, right? For instance, Austria having incurred universal wrath leading to a joint boycott by everyone, but hasn’t this scenario failed to occur?

Could it be that Bavaria in alliance with Prussia can actually force Austria to withdraw? It’s estimated that as soon as this plan is proposed, the Austrians would go berserk.

Would anyone believe such a childish plan? The answer is: yes, and there are many who do.

At least Franz believed it, and the Austrian Government did too. On April 11, 1853, Austria’s Foreign Ministry issued a diplomatic note to the Bavarian Government, warning them not to play with fire.

The public opinion was in an uproar, but still, most were supportive, as Austria only gave a diplomatic caution in words. To many of the smaller German regional states, this was quite satisfying.

If there were an actual war launched, it would be different. Many people’s view would change, as the reason was not sufficient enough.

Franz was an Emperor with a good temper, who would not rush into martial action, but he did add one more point to the annotations behind the pretext of war.

After receiving the warning, the Bavarian Government immediately made a clarification, stating that the aforementioned situation was slanderous, and they absolutely had no plans to split Germany.

After this minor interlude, the third wave of public opinion momentum ended and the fourth wave began.

Entering May, a new hot topic in the Germany Region became “how to unify the Germany Region”.

This topic was extremely sensitive. Governments of various countries kept silent on the matter, but the public was abuzz with discussion. The most disheartened were the Shinra faction, as they were eliminated first.

The Bavarian Government became the scapegoat, the target of everyone’s anger. Of course, in Maximilian II’s view, this was worth it. Despite receiving a lot of criticism, they had gained substantial benefits.

England, France, and Russia all publicly issued diplomatic statements, criticizing the reconstruction of the Shinra as an unstable factor that undermines the balance of Europe and warned Austria not to play with fire.

Afterward, Franz couldn’t even be bothered to look at them; he tossed these communications into a corner and considered the matter closed.

On the other hand, the Bavarian Government received high praise from the great powers. If it weren’t for the deep contradictions among England, France, and Russia, they would have personally stepped in to help Bavaria achieve its strategic goal.

Even Maximilian II wouldn’t believe this rhetoric; diplomatic language is just for show. It’s merely the great powers giving them encouragement. If you really believe it, then prepare to cry!

On the surface, in this political game, the Kingdom of Bavaria seemed to have the upper hand. Austria had just threatened them, and now they were the ones being warned by the great powers.

When all the plans were put together for comparison, everyone reluctantly found that the first one eliminated was, in fact, the one with the greatest chance of success. The opportunity for the Chuunibyo youths had arrived.

“When the gate of peace is closed, then force becomes the only choice, and Germany will ultimately be unified.”

After this slogan was chanted, it quickly spread across the Germany Region. The Chuunibyo youths didn’t even understand what it meant but started shouting along.

This scared a lot of people instantaneously, especially the governments of many small sub-states, who were most worried about the military unification of Germany.

With the reconstruction of the Shinra, everyone’s interests were somewhat secured. Once it turned into forceful national unification, they were undoubtedly going to be the part that got unified.

National unification achieved through bloodshed naturally spells the end for them, who stood against it – the reactionary faction. The smell of gunpowder in the Germany Region grew stronger.

The moment Franz had been anxiously waiting for had arrived; the public groundwork was laid, the people’s fervor was ignited, and everyone reluctantly accepted the reality of Germany’s forceful unification.

This was not the time to hesitate; the people’s fervor could not last forever. Once they calmed down, it would be too late for everything.

Inside the Austrian Government, the hardliners’ influence began to surge. On June 1, 1853, Prime Minister Felix delivered his Iron Curtain speech at the Vienna National Assembly.

“After our continuous efforts to try using peaceful means to unify Germany, the plan ultimately failed due to the collusion of national traitors and foreign enemies.

But Germany will ultimately be unified, this is the mission history has entrusted us with.

Now is perhaps the time for us to adopt a different method to achieve national unification.

Great Germany, since its birth, has been filled with iron and blood. Now we are left with no choice.

Since someone has forced us to take this step, let us then use iron and blood to sweep this corrupt world and forge the new glory of the Empire!

Everyone knew that Austria had changed. The Prime Minister of the Peace Party had become a member of the War Party; Austria’s national policy had undergone a major change.

In the following days, the Austrian elite made similar speeches, and the Austrian Government turned entirely to the War Party.

In a word: We love peace, but we love Germany more. For the unification of Germany, war is unavoidable.

These public stances instantly caused an uproar in the Germany Region. Many people suddenly realized, is war coming?

They didn’t have to wait long. On June 5, 1853, Franz issued “A Letter to the German People.”

“Peace has died, and there remains only one path towards the unification of Germany, and that is war.

History has given me a duty that I cannot escape, for I love this land, this country, deeply.

To prevent the disintegration of the Germany Region, we must wipe out any attempt at dividing Germany.

Now, before God, I have decided to execute the national traitors and eliminate a decayed regime that conspired with foreign enemies to split the Germany Region.

Regardless of whether everyone believed it or not, Franz was convinced that the Bavarian Government conspired with England, France, and Russia to split Germany.

“A Letter to the German People” served as a declaration of war. At the same time Franz made his proclamation, the Austrian Government had already submitted a declaration of war to Bavaria.

The cover of the declaration of war was marked: Execute National Traitors.

The Bavarian Government, which had not yet reacted, was dumbfounded; the transformation in the Austrian Government’s attitude was just too swift.

Not long before, the great powers had collectively warned Austria; normally, they wouldn’t possibly resort to military action under such circumstances.

Maximilian II was in no mood to investigate why. He made a swift decision, commanding, “Immediately seek aid from England, France, and Russia, and ask them to intervene; domestically, initiate a full national mobilization, and at the same time seek military assistance from the German regional states.”

Prime Minister August added, “Your Majesty, we must clarify immediately to the outside world; we absolutely must not acknowledge the crimes the Austrian Government has pinned on us. Otherwise, we are finished.”

The military issue was a minor concern. Even if they were defeated in battle, with the intervention of the great powers, there was still a chance to preserve their regime. But if they failed politically, even if they drove out the Austrians, it would be none of their concern anymore.

Foreign Minister Bachhaus exclaimed in alarm, “Not good, the Austrians have premeditated this; we fell into their trap!”

Maximilian asked urgently, “What happened? Explain!”

With a heavy countenance and a bitter smile, Foreign Minister Bachhaus said, “Your Majesty, public opinion is highly unfavorable to us. A series of events that have happened earlier all tied us together with England, France, and Russia.

I fear that in the eyes of many German people, we are seen as the national traitors colluding with foreign enemies. Even if we provide explanations, it won’t be possible to reverse the situation in a short time.

With Austria’s significant influence in Bavaria, if the people are convinced that we are national traitors, then I’m afraid…”

Without him finishing, everyone knew what a disaster had unfolded. At this moment, if England, France, and Russia stepped in to intervene, it would prove a collusion between the Bavarian Government and them. If they did not intervene, Austria would swallow Bavaria whole.

It was a dilemma of two evils, where every choice led to a pitfall; it was just a matter of which one to jump into.

Maximilian II said fiercely, “We can’t worry about that now; first let’s get through the current crisis.

The Austrians are probably taking a risk because England, France, and Russia are locked in conflict and cannot unite to interfere with their actions.

But they don’t know that we have agreements with England, France, and Russia; they will definitely intervene.

A united German Empire is too frightening a prospect for any European power to tolerate such an occurrence.

Austria taking action now amounts to disqualifying itself. We must seize this opportunity to kick them out of Germany!”