Chapter 217: Chapter 104, Trading

Translator: 549690339

The sudden pause of the Near East War jolted many within the Austrian Government awake. There’s no surprise here, the great powers are no fools—they wouldn’t allow a unified German Empire to rise and compete for their spoils.

This was within Franz’s expectations, unlike the historical existence of the Empire, the present Austria seemed much more powerful.

While deterring the nations of Europe, it was also inevitable to attract their wariness. At this time, diplomatic means became extremely important; blindly using brute force is not the act of the wise.

Berlin

Metternich proposed the partition of the German Region to the Prussian Government, and without a doubt, the Prussians were not fools—the two sides found it very difficult to come to an agreement.

Austria could easily annex the South German Region, but for Prussia to annex the Northern Germany was very troublesome, a matter of soft power.

The militaristic Prussia, whose strength lay only in military might, could be looked down upon by most of the German sub-states in terms of culture.

This was also the reason why the Kingdom of Prussia was prone to attracting negativity, as they lacked a voice in the cultural sphere and were not recognized by everyone culturally.

Of course, they could also forge ahead with force like in history, coercing everyone to agree. However, the current government of Frederick William IV hesitated, not daring to take this step.

With the multi-national coalition calling a halt to German unification, Austria faced an unprecedented diplomatic dilemma. If Prussia stepped out at this moment, it would alleviate Austria’s pressure, but they themselves would be in a tight spot.

The situation in the North German Region was different from that of the South German Region, where most states were subordinates to Austria, influenced by them for a long time, which is why Franz advocated for political means to achieve unification.

In the Northern Germany, there was also the British hand at play; for Prussia to annex these areas, Hanover was an insurmountable hurdle.

After experiencing the Danish incident, the Berlin Government knew not to mess with the great powers—although the British might not come knocking with an army like the Russians, having their navy to blockade was equally formidable.

Metternich said calmly, “Your Majesty, the Northern Germany is the most prosperous region of Germany. Although it has a slightly smaller territorial area, its economic strength is not weak at all.”

The economic strength of the Northern Germany was indeed not weak, surpassing more than half of that of the Kingdom of Prussia, a place Frederick William IV longed for in his dreams.

Frederick William IV shook his head, saying, “Prime Minister, the Northern Germany’s economy is indeed good, but it still does not compare to the South German Region, whether in terms of population base or territorial area, the disparity is huge.

Considering the complex situation of the Northern Germany, it is very difficult for the Kingdom of Prussia to annex these sub-states, which is quite unfair—Prussia needs to obtain Saxon as compensation.”

Clearly, the Prussian Government had come to realize the importance of population at this period.

Metternich replied coldly, “Your Majesty, power determines influence. Once you cross this line, it means disaster!”

Fairness, how could that be possible? After paying such a high price, Austria would not let the Kingdom of Prussia gain the same benefits, does the Vienna Government look like fools?

…

The Prussian Government dared not provoke the British, yet hoped to receive compensation in the Central German Region, which was obviously unacceptable to Austria. The final negotiation between Prussia and Austria naturally ended in discord.

Metternich’s objective had been achieved; the Prussians were tempted. Wanting a piece of the pie during the split of the German Region meant that they could not possibly cooperate closely with England and France.

If, according to the proposals of England and France, the Germany Region were split into three parts and a new nation were formed by merging the sub-states outside of Prussia and Austria, what benefit would there be for the Prussians?

Prussia surely can’t be expected to lay down its arms to limit Austria, can it? Once this country is established, the Kingdom of Prussia would suffer major losses.

Without the South German Region, Austria would remain a power on the European continent; without the Northern Germany, the Kingdom of Prussia could not even maintain its current quasi-great power status.

The complete industrial system gone, the German Customs Union, crucial to Prussia’s economic lifeline, would cease to exist as well.

A Kingdom of Prussia with a population of thirteen or fourteen million people cannot support an independent economy, not even in the 19th century.

The Northern Germany region isn’t large in area, but it has a substantial population. Once annexed, the population of the Kingdom of Prussia would exceed twenty million, surpassing that of England, with an economic growth of sixty to seventy percent.

Having laid the bait, Metternich wouldn’t fear the Prussians being tempted. Whether the Prussians ended up gaining much or stirring up trouble in the end was no longer his concern.

Paris in 1853 still maintained some of its medieval character, with new forces stirring in the corners of the classical city and a large influx of immigrants arriving in Paris, holding on to their dreams of scraping by.

The soaring population brought about not only economic development but also mountains of trash and dung, as well as streets that became congested at any given time.

A wide ditch divided the road in two, also cutting off the paths on either side. A bit of rain and the streets would need shaky bridges erected over them.

The slaughterhouses located in the city center poured blood and water onto the streets like a stream, congealing under shoe soles and dying them crimson.

This was the Paris that Metternich saw, accustomed to the cleanliness of Vienna, he found it extremely hard to grow fond of the filthy and chaotic Paris.

What was most disturbing was the occasional discovery of infanticide in the sewage ditches, a cruel society driving its people to moral decay, forcing the lower classes to artificially control their birth rates… The large family homes full of children, typical of the peasant’s life, had all but vanished here.

This was a bustling international metropolis, a landmark city of Europe, and also an ocean of sin; this was Paris of the 19th century.

Palace of Versailles

Metternich and Napoleon III had conducted a secret meeting. Interests have always been the best catalyst for national relations. The honeymoon period in Franco-Austrian relations was before the Great Revolution.

After the Great Revolution, their relationship took a sharp downturn. With the accession of Napoleon III, Franco-Austrian relations briefly warmed up again, but with the outbreak of the Near East War, relations once more plummeted to a freezing point.

Now, the reason they could sit together and share a laugh was still because of interests; as continental nations, France and Austria had plenty in common to discuss.

There is nothing that interests can’t resolve, and if interests can’t resolve it, then the interests are simply not substantial enough.

Napoleon III wasn’t a saint without desires, so he had great expectations for Metternich’s visit, as it signified interests.

Metternich spoke openly, “Your Majesty, on the European continent, France and Austria can fully cooperate and meet each other’s needs.

‘A contest between the two countries’ is what the British need for their policy of continental balance, and this does not align with our interests.

“I’ve come to Paris this time to have an in-depth communication with your country and to solve the current disputes between our two nations,”

“What do you need us to do, and what can we gain from it?” asked Napoleon III succinctly.

In fact, the higher the level of negotiation, the simpler it often is. Everyone is very busy and doesn’t have much time for lengthy discussions.

Usually, high-level meetings are very short, and to achieve results in limited time, it’s easier to directly discuss interests and reach a consensus.

Metternich laid out the conditions directly, “Your Majesty, Austria wishes to gain your recognition of the new Holy Roman Empire. In return, Austria will support your expansion in the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Central European Region.”

Napoleon III thought for a moment and said, “It seems that unifying the Germany Region is just a pretense. Your actual goal is just to annex the South German Region, and now you’ve achieved your goal, haven’t you?”

Metternich solemnly replied, “Yes, Your Majesty! It’s too difficult to unify the Germany Region. No one wants us to succeed, and Austria has no plans to challenge the world yet.”

Napoleon III fell into deep thought. The calls for unification of the Germany Region were high, and Austria had already digested the South German Region, which was clearly not going to be easily relinquished.

From France’s standpoint, he naturally did not want Austria to continue to grow stronger, but it was very difficult to intervene at the moment.

Don’t be fooled by the temporary truce in the Near Eastern conflict. Napoleon III was very clear that the contradictions among England, France, and Russia had not eased, and as long as the Russians did not stop their aggression, they could not yield.

Expect diplomatic pressure to make Austria back down? Napoleon III could decisively say, stop dreaming. In this era, everyone talks based on strength, and Austria had already flexed its muscles. Without the power to overpower them, don’t expect them to compromise.

He had to admit, Austria had chosen a good opportunity. They took advantage of the war between England, France, and Russia to take down the South German Region and create a fait accompli.

Napoleon III said seriously, “Your country must cede the lands west of the Rhine River to France, and your country must also withdraw from the Italian Area.

The sphere of influence of the new Holy Roman Empire should be limited to its current member states, and it must not continue to expand into the Germany Region.

In the Near Eastern conflict, your country must not continue to support the Russians. If your country can do these things, we can recognize the legitimacy of the new Holy Roman Empire.”

To agree to Napoleon III’s demands, how could that be possible? To pay such a heavy price just for South Germany, Austria would have labored for nothing.

Metternich shook his head and said, “Your Majesty, your appetite is too big, and this has already gone beyond Austria’s bottom line.

Apart from not continuing to expand into the Germany Region with the new Holy Roman Empire, we cannot accept the other conditions.

Firstly, there is a covenant between Russian-Austrian, and we cannot betray our ally, so there is no need to discuss this issue.

Secondly, withdrawing from the Italian Area is impossible. At most, we can promise not to continue expanding in the Italian Area.

The German lands west of the Rhine River can be negotiated, but not now. We must consider the feelings of our people.

Actually, we don’t have much territory west of the Rhine River, and its value is not that high. It might be better for your country to compensate from other areas.”

After receiving direct confirmation from Metternich of the Russian-Austrian covenant, Napoleon III’s heart sank to the bottom, meaning that any intervention was now impossible.

Do not think that all the countries of Europe have come to join the excitement. In reality, most nations are only there to make their presence felt internationally; if asked to send troops, they would beat a hasty retreat one by one.

As long as the Russians support Austria, then the interventionist Allied Forces cannot be assembled. Unless the Near East war is immediately halted and the United Kingdom and France withdraw troops from the front lines, they do not possess the strength to intervene in Austria.

Whether the British are willing to get involved, Napoleon III does not know, but he himself certainly cannot. Having paid such a high price, and with the war having reached this point, a major victory is necessary for him to conclude affairs without one.

This concerns his own political life; Napoleon III could not possibly wager his throne to intervene in Austria—it is not worth it.

Since there is a deal between Russia and Austria and Metternich secretly appeared in Paris, what about London? If the Austrians have persuaded the British, then French recognition is of no consequence.

Thinking this over, Napoleon III begrudgingly recognizes that his options at this time are quite limited. Unless France intends not to expand in the future, exchanging interests now is the best choice.

France’s mineral resources are insufficient; the mineral resources of the German Rhine region have always been coveted by France, particularly the area’s rich coal resources.

Currently, these areas are mostly under the control of the Kingdom of Prussia, which is one of the provocations for the historical Franco-Prussian War. It was only after the Prussians failed to fulfill their earlier promise that Napoleon III initiated the war.

Maximizing interests is the nature of any politician, and Napoleon III is no exception. Now, he must secure some advantages in Austria to solidify his still-unstable realm.

After some haggling, on August 6, 1853, Metternich and Napoleon III signed the “France-Austrian Italian Issue Handling Outline,” the “Franco-Austrian Central Europe Power Division Treaty,” and the “France-Austrian Mutual Aid Secret Pact” at the Palace of Versailles.

The first two treaties were merely agreements on the delineation of the two nations’ spheres of influence, specifying many potentially disputed areas.

The secret pact was the core of this negotiation. According to the agreement: France would support the establishment of the New Holy Roman Empire, and Austria would support the French in obtaining territories west of the Rhine River and parts of Italy. (Including Belgium, Luxembourg, Rhineland, Kingdom of Sardinia, and Sicily)

When making generous offers at the expense of others, Franz was always very generous. If the French dared to ask, they could even add the Netherlands and Northern Germany to the deal, and Metternich would similarly not refuse.

After all, this promise of support was just verbal and did not require any actual benefit to be given up.

Is Napoleon III unaware? Obviously, that is impossible, but he has confidence in France’s power and believes that taking these regions would be no problem.

As long as the Austrians can honor their agreement and give verbal support without joining other countries in intervening, the likelihood of success is high.

One must always have dreams; what if they come true?

By making an agreement in advance, should action be needed in the future, one potential opponent is already ruled out.

Of course, Napoleon III is not foolish enough to truly trust the promises of the Austrian Government. With so many targets, even if they were to take action, it would not be achieved in one fell swoop.

The road must be travelled step by step, and the meat must be eaten one bite at a time. As long as there is no reckless ambition, these goals are quite attainable for the French.

In the end, everything depends on strength. As long as France is powerful enough, these modest goals can be achieved. Conversely, if they lack the strength, even if the Austrians do fulfill their promises, the French would not have the appetite to digest them.