Chapter 214: Chapter 101, Passing the Buck

Translator: 549690339

The negotiations were still deadlocked, but the gates of Munich had already been opened. At this point, Maximilian II no longer had a say in the matter.

From the start of the negotiations, everyone knew a new ruler was coming to town. Jonas had no obligation to keep this a secret, and now the whole city knew that Maximilian II was ready to exchange territories with Austria.

Given this, siding with the new master was no longer a difficult choice. The exchange of territories in European history was not uncommon, and it hardly counted as news.

However, this time the situation was indeed special; the Bavarian Royal Family had fallen from grace, losing all their bargaining chips. The only thing they could rely on was legal rationality.

Originally, most of the Bavarian people still had some internal qualms, as after all, Maximilian II hadn’t committed any outrageous offenses. Abandoning him seemed somewhat unjustifiable.

But once the news of the territorial exchange came out, the people’s internal barriers disappeared. It wasn’t that they wanted to betray their king, but rather that the king himself was leaving, and that absolved them of any responsibility.

They felt justified in their actions, believing that as long as Austria did not mistreat the royal family, they owed Maximilian II nothing.

Baden

As a close ally of Bavaria, it was among the first to know what was happening within its neighboring state. The government of Baden was bewildered. This wasn’t how things were done. In the midst of a war with another country, the local government declared “neutrality,” followed swiftly by the army declaring “neutrality” too.

Regent Prince Friedrich asked, “What should be done now? The Bavarians haven’t put up any resistance at all. The Austrians merely marched their armed forces and reached the outskirts of Munich.

As things stand, the people of Bavaria have given up on their government, and Munich won’t last long. The Kingdom of Bavaria won’t hold out until reinforcements arrive.”

Never mind the arrival of reinforcements, there’s no sign of them anywhere. Prussia is gathering forces from the German Confederation to form an Allied Force, and England and France are also calling for troops to intervene in the war.

But all of this takes time. With so many small states in the Germany Region, even at their fastest, it would take a month or two to organize the Allied Forces, right?

Who would have expected the Kingdom of Bavaria to be so cowardly? After all, it’s the third-largest state in the Germany Region. Even if it couldn’t defeat Austrians, it should have held out a little longer, if only by waging guerrilla warfare.

At this time, Prince Friedrich was unaware that a compromise had already been reached, and that Maximilian II was negotiating with the Austrians.

Foreign Minister Nicholas analyzed, “Your Highness, this is a case of where the people’s loyalties lie. No matter how hard the government tries, it’s futile.

It seems we underestimated the importance of unification in people’s hearts. The Bavarians regard this war as a battle for national unification.

It’s less that the Austrian army advanced to Munich and more that they were welcomed into Munich by the Bavarians themselves.

Our troubles have increased. If our domestic public opinion aligns with that of the Bavarians, then the risks of interfering in this war are too great.”

Nicholas was frightened; it wasn’t just him, many were. If the domestic populace shared the same sentiment, what would happen if they forcefully intervened in the war? Could there be a rebellion?

Even if there was no rebellion, if they took a page from the Bavarians’ book and maintained “neutrality” during the war, it would spell doom for Baden’s government.

Prime Minister Woltz added, “Your Highness, such an outcome is very likely. Domestic opinion is largely against sending troops, and nobody is willing to deploy forces to rescue Bavaria.”

Prince Friedrich fell silent, understanding the principle of falling together with a neighboring downfall. But now, the risks of intervening were too high, potentially leading to their own demise.

After a pause, he slowly said, “Enough, we shall remain neutral in this war!”

Not only the Grand Duchy of Baden, but many terrified German regional states also chose neutrality.

It seemed that at that moment, everyone became an advocate for public opinion, and Austria’s political offensive began to gain momentum.

As one state after another declared neutrality, the yet unborn German Confederation’s Coalition Forces died prematurely in the womb.

Berlin

As more and more states announced their neutrality, the pressure on the Prussian Government increased. At least five hundred thousand Austrian troops had already gathered in the Prussia-Austria border area, and this number was still on the rise.

Whether these troops were combat-effective was still unknown, but the Prussian Government dared not make a move. The numbers were there; who would dare take them lightly?

What if they advanced troops to aid Bavaria and these troops entered their homeland right behind them? Even if these forces were substandard, sheer numbers could overwhelm Prussia.

The Kingdom of Prussia had limited strength and could not imitate the Austrian Government in mobilizing millions of soldiers.

Even if they exhausted themselves, they could only deal with one front of the Austrian Army; there would be no solution for another front.

Whether dispatching troops from their homeland or crossing over from the Kingdom of Bavaria, it was no issue for Austria.

Entering the Age of Hot Weapons, they couldn’t even take the risk. Once their logistics and supply lines were cut off, even the most powerful armies would become limp.

Beyond the military threat, the political issue was even more troublesome. The reaction of the Bavarian people also terrified the Prussian Government.

Even though Frederick William IV had confidence in the nation’s military, not believing they would declare neutrality without firing a shot as the Bavarian Army did, he lacked confidence in the public.

The military’s confidence stemmed from the fact that Prussia was a “state owned by the army,” a treatment not afforded by other nations.

The public was a different matter. Regardless of how later generations praised the Kingdom of Prussia, in reality, they were overextending themselves militarily.

The economic situation in the Kingdom of Prussia was poor. To maintain the huge military expenses, the government had to increase the burden on the public.

Along with the exploitation by the Junker aristocracy, the common people of Prussia in this era had a hard time. These hardships lasted historically until after the Prussia-France War, when they were relieved by the war indemnities from the French.

Suppressing his anger, Frederick William IV said, “What should we do now? Those Free Cities have long declared neutrality. Now Baden has declared neutrality, Hanover has declared neutrality, Württemberg has also declared neutrality, and Felix is about to visit Saxon. If nothing unexpected happens, Saxon will also be neutral soon.

The remaining small states are not worth mentioning. If we continue to organize intervention forces, I’m afraid it’ll be up to us alone.”

There are many states in the German region, but few with real strength. Aside from those with a bit more capability, if you combine all the smaller states, you wouldn’t even be able to put together an army of fifty thousand.

Without the state armies to serve as cannon fodder, Prussia wouldn’t dare to have a showdown with Austria; losing eighty to a hundred thousand soldiers would severely weaken them.

The Kingdom of Prussia maintained a large active-duty force specifically to ensure the quality of its soldiers because they couldn’t compete in numbers.

Prime Minister Joseph von Radovich advised, “Your Majesty, the current situation is unclear; we cannot rashly take the lead. Although Austria has decayed, their military strength has not declined.

From the intelligence we’ve collected, Austria has already mobilized a million reserves, along with their half a million active-duty forces. They now have the largest military in Europe.

“With our strength, we no longer have the ability to intervene in this war. It’s better to observe the situation for now and wait for the reactions of the European countries!”

Plans cannot keep up with changes. If Austria doesn’t go through a national mobilization, then the Kingdom of Prussia, along with the German Confederation organizing an Allied Force, still have the strength to interfere in this war.

The current situation is clear, the small states are either intimidated by public opinion or daunted by Austria’s strength, so they have backed down.

With no Allied Force materializing, to go up against Austria alone, Joseph von Radovich held no hope whatsoever with Prussia’s army of two hundred thousand.

Even with a national mobilization, the Kingdom of Prussia could not afford the attrition, a single defeat would spell disaster. Perhaps Austria lacked the strength to annex Prussia, but dismembering the Kingdom of Prussia was certainly possible.

After all, the Kingdom of Prussia was not invincible, and just from the actions of partitioning Poland three times, it gained 141,100 square kilometers, accounting for 47% of Prussian territory.

This means that there are still a large number of Polish within Prussia, and although these people have been almost assimilated and will soon be digested, that is under the condition of no external forces.

Once the Kingdom of Prussia loses the war, and Austria forcibly splits Prussia, then reunification will be difficult. The odds are too low, and the risks are too great, Prime Minister Joseph von Radovich does not want to take that gamble.

Foreign Minister Andrea suggested, “Your Majesty, Metternich will soon visit Berlin. Let’s hear what Austria has to say before making a decision. If the conditions are right, it is not bad to join forces with them.”

At the end of the day, international relations are about interests. Prussia’s opposition to Austria’s annexation of Bavaria is also due to interests. If the interests are right, selling Bavaria might not be out of the question.

Andrea supports the idea of a divided North and South Germany, and he doesn’t mind exchanging interests with Austria. Of course, this doesn’t mean that he doesn’t wish for Prussia’s unification of Germany.

Primarily because the Kingdom’s power is limited, everyone has ambitions for German unification, but they don’t think it can be achieved.

Before Bismarck came to power, the Prussian government was not mentally prepared for German unification.

Even after their victories in the three dynastic wars, everyone was skeptical about the unification of Germany.

If it were not for Bismarck’s strong insistence and savvy political maneuvers, which coaxed many states together for a nominal unification, the impressive German Empire of later times would not have been born.

After a moment’s hesitation, Frederick William IV finally had to apologize to the Kingdom of Bavaria, not because he was unwilling to help, but because he lacked the power to do so.

“In that case, let’s maintain our silence for now. The mobilization of troops in the country must not stop, and we must be vigilant against an Austrian surprise attack.

After Metternich’s visit, once we understand the Austrians’ terms, we will make a decision.

Before that, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must stabilize the small states as much as possible. Without their vocal support, we will be very passive politically.”

You have to know when to bet on the fate of a nation, and you need at least a thirty to forty percent chance before you can place a wager, right? Frederick William IV is not a gambler, and certainly not one reckless enough to blindly go all-in.

After the high-level meeting ended, Frederick William IV immediately summoned the envoys of the four nations of Britain, France, Russia, and Spain, informing these major European powers of the situation and requesting their intervention with troops.

Unquestionably, the Kingdom of Spain at this time was already an empty shell, maintaining its status as a great power solely on its ancestral prestige, and being busy with internal strife, it was unenthusiastic about intervening in the affairs of the German region.

The real voices of authority were England, France, and Russia, or more precisely, the French-Russian. Although the British were influential, their army strength was limited, and they did not possess the capability to send troops to intervene in the German region.

But, at this time, England, France, and Russia were engrossed in a fierce rivalry, and neither side could easily stop. Both had invested so much that whoever balked would be in trouble.

The Russians could not let go of Constantinople, which was the will of all Russian citizens, and the Tsarist Government could not possibly back down at the last moment.

England and France could not back down either. The British made concessions, and regardless of the severe loss of interests, Downing Street was about to see a change.

As for the French, there’s even less to say. If Napoleon III dared to show weakness, his throne would become unstable, or rather, his throne has always been unstable, and this war was started to divert internal conflicts.

Besides the Spanish Envoy who explicitly refused to send troops, the envoys of the three countries did not provide an answer, needing to wait for decisions from their home countries.

London

The Cabinet George convened another meeting over the issue of the German Region.

Foreign Minister Thomas began, “Gentlemen, the situation in the German Region has changed. The Kingdom of Bavaria capitulated without any resistance, and during this war, the Bavarian people and the army chose to be onlookers.

“This time, it’s probably that fool Maximilian II and his idiot Cabinet fighting against Austria.”

As a result, most states in the German Region have opted for neutrality, as public opinion supports the unification of Germany, and those state governments dare not take risks.

“Last night, I received a message from our envoy in Berlin: the Prussian Government has also backed down.

“Our original plan was to use the power of the German regional states to restrain the Austrians, but now we cannot continue.

“If we do not take strong measures, the unification of the German Region will be inevitable. The Austrians are launching a political offensive, and it’s estimated that most German states will join the Shinra Empire under Austrian lead due to public pressure.”

Thomas scorned the actions of Maximilian II, and everyone agreed. Indeed, a king who behaves like this does require strength.

If only the Kingdom of Bavaria had put up even a little bit of a fight, even if it was just resisting the Austrian army for ten days to half a month, or even continually losing battles, it would have been acceptable.

This is a gap in strength, and no one would criticize them for being incompetent. It can be said that if only they had resisted, the German Confederation’s allied forces could have been organized.

Now that everyone has backed down, not only are they deterred by Austria’s military strength, but the actions of the Bavarian people have also left them fearful, daring not to go against public opinion.

George Hamilton-Gordon pondered and said, “It seems that we must join hands with Russia now. Relying solely on our strength and the French’s, we can no longer force Austria to let go.

“A unified German Empire is too strong, and surely Russia wouldn’t want to see this monster appear either. The Foreign Office should communicate with the Russians. To show our sincerity, we could temporarily suspend our offensive on the Crimea Peninsula.”

“Prime Minister, suspending the offensive at this time means giving up the advantage we’ve gained for nothing. As long as the Russians are unwilling to give up Constantinople, this war cannot end.

“Unless we want to engage with the Russians in a defense battle for India in the Indus River Basin, we also cannot afford to back down,” warned Minister of Army Stanley.

Backing down was out of the question. Whoever dared to compromise on this issue should be prepared to be nailed to the pillar of a traitor and spat upon by the public for life!

George Hamilton-Gordon said with a sneer, “This little loss is still within our capacity to bear. Even if we can’t compromise with the Russians on the Near East issue, we still have a common stance on preventing German unification.

“As long as the three of us remain united, the Austrians will have no choice but to give in. Once the Russians exert pressure on Austria, can their alliance continue?

“Once the Russian-Austrian relationship breaks down, the subsequent war will be easier to fight. For now, let’s just cheat the Russians into cutting off Germany’s path to unification.”

When it comes to diplomatic maneuvers, John Bull certainly isn’t timid. Even when planning to join forces with the Russians to intervene in the German unification war, they never forget to dig a big hole for the Russians first.