Chapter 695： Trend (1/2)
The British proposal caused a stir at the top of the German federal government. Although the purchase of the Rhineland region made up for the heavy industry shortcoming, the overall national strength of the ”Comedy Empire” has grown significantly.
Unfortunately, the German federal empire is not a unified country, and the problem of the union of states within the federation against the central government has been delayed.
The Kingdom of Hanover had no overwhelming advantage, and George I was not the master of the genius, and the problem was shelved.
(Remarks: George I, German Empire, and George V, Hanover Kingdom)
The German Federal Empire, which cannot complete the internal integration, naturally lags far behind the Commonwealth Federation. Personally, George I had no interest in the British ”snake elephant” project.
A group of small states in the country can make him ashamed, and then come to the Popo Federation, so what?
In recent years, if you have the strength, you have the right to speak. Once the Pope Federation joins the German Federation, it will immediately become the most influential state in the empire, and Hanover ’s status will be affected.
George I: ”Do you think the proposal from the British is feasible?”
Seeing that, he hesitated. The comedy empire also has to use the strength of the British to confront Austria and protect its independent status. It is obviously not desirable to directly reject the British.
But accepting the Commonwealth Federation is too risky. Even if Queen Victoria made a guarantee, in the face of national interests, George I could not believe it completely.
Prime Minister Tolben Huffman: ”His Majesty, the British proposal seems very tempting, but in reality there are many crises. If one is not good, we will fall into criticism.
Internationally, the two countries, France and Austria, do not want to see the merger between us and the Federation of Popo, and bold actions will definitely cause their dissatisfaction and may even lead to armed interference.
Many states in the country have their own calculations. Joining this war will not do them any good. The Imperial Parliament cannot pass.
In a complicated situation, if we bypass the Imperial Parliament and forcibly accept the Federation of Popo, it is likely that the Empire will be divided.
In addition to these risks, what is more troublesome is the Popo Federation itself. Their weight is too large, and we have no ability or ability to digest the Commonwealth.
By virtue of their size advantages, it is a matter of time before they become anti-customers. This is not a guarantee that can be resolved unless the Popo Federation can be split. ”
Foreign Minister Steve Lee: ”The risks are indeed high, but this is still an opportunity. Once we miss it, it is difficult for us to go further.
The situation in Europe is clear to everyone. The Russian-Prussian War is an episode, and the future must be a game of Britain, France, Austria and the three countries.
Other countries can choose to be neutral, but we can't. Austria's ambitions have never been concealed, and even more annoying is that many people in the country have been fooled by nationalism and wish to join Austria immediately.
The only way to get out of this crisis is to make the empire strong. Only when the empire is strong can it prove that nationalism is wrong and dispel their unrealistic illusions. ”
Torben Huffman shook his head: ”Lee, you are still too idealistic.
I admit that the annexation of the Federation of Popo is indeed tempting, and frankly I am all tempted. The problem now is that we simply cannot do it.
Even if the British could persuade the French and restrain Austria, we successfully convinced the states of the country to agree that the possibility of annexing the Popo Federation is less than 10%.
Don't ignore the gap in power. The Federation of Popo now looks miserable, but their population is twice that of us and the territory is five times ours.
After the merger of the two countries, it is very obvious who is merging who.
Moreover, the cruelty of the Pu-Russian war is also an urgent practical issue. To accept the Popo Federation, we must help them win the battle.
After the war, we have to take out a large amount of funds to repay their debts and help them rebuild after the war. Our income is just a dream of a great country.
If this is the price to pay, it is better to cooperate with the Austrians in order to obtain a great power status. At least we don't need our boys to go to the battlefield, and the government does not need to tighten their belts to live. ”
The speaker is careless and listens on purpose.
Deep down, George I had planted the seeds of doubt. ”Suspicious” is the instinct of the emperor, not a derogatory term here.
Suspicion is suspicion, whether it is George I or not, it seems to care nothing.
Foreign Minister Steve Lee: ”You are right, Your Excellency the Prime Minister. We do not have the ability to swallow the Federation of Popo, and the cost of participating in this war is indeed very high.
But this is not important. The Popo Federation has never been a member of the German state. What do we want them to do?
We only need to absorb the Principality of Brandenburg, Principality of Schleswig, and Principality of Holstein, and other non-German territories can be abandoned.