Flowers, Swords and France

"oh?"

Bismarck was a little surprised that the other party compared him to someone like Richard von Metternich, who was the future prince and was destined to become a pivotal figure in Austrian diplomacy, while he was much inferior.

But no matter what, Treville's words are always exciting.

As an old-school Prussian, he was full of hostility to Austria and wanted to exclude the other party's influence in Germany, so he kept writing to ask his king not to agree to the Austrian proposal to include Austria in the Customs Union. After Prince Schwarzenberg signed the Treaty of Olmitz with Prussia in a threatening manner, he was also very worried about the re-emergence of Austria's prestige among the German states.

He knew that in the foreseeable future, Prussia would have to have serious conflicts with Austria for its interests in Germany, and it might even be difficult to avoid a war.

And France is an important country. If someone like de Treville is full of affection for Austria, it will be a huge blow to Prussia's interests.

Therefore, after hearing this young man's hint that "I treat Prussians and Austrians equally and have no particular preference," he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, did this young man really understand his hint? Or was it just a casual remark? He felt slightly worried.

"I am very grateful for your regard for me. Please believe that the Prussians have always been enthusiastic. They value every friend and are willing to interact with friends. If France wants to integrate into the European family, then the Prussians will definitely welcome this with open arms. Guests, and help her become prosperous together - of course, I am convinced that Austrians will be equally enthusiastic. As long as you are enthusiastic about the public welfare of Europe, you will not lack friends.”

"Of course, France takes her prestige very seriously, so she is willing to interact with any friend on an equal footing - as long as the friend has good intentions." Charles quickly gave him the same hint. "I will treat Prussians and Austrians with equal enthusiasm and respect."

If so that would be great. Bismarck secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Most of our Prussian diplomats have read your past speeches, so they can also understand your positive pacifist propositions." Because it feels like it started well. So Bismarck started to take the topic further, "Many people are against you because of your speech, but in fact, I think they misunderstood you - you claimed that as long as France's strength and status are recognized, she will actively To maintain the existing order in Europe. This is exactly what a patriot should say. If France is not respected in Europe, what motivation can we have to maintain it? "

"If I had known that my speech would be circulated around Europe, I would probably have been more cautious about my words and deeds... Journalists at the time misunderstood me, so that my words were regarded as full of gunpowder, which went against me. "The original intention." Charles smiled sheepishly, "Thank you for understanding what I mean. I am personally peace-loving, I just hope that France will be more respected."

When two diplomats get together to talk about peace and prosperity, they are either about to say goodbye or they are preparing to go deeper. This situation is naturally no exception.

"I agree with your understanding of peace. At the same time, I think that the peace of Europe is ultimately the peace of Germany. If Germany is not peaceful, then the turmoil in Europe will continue. Since 1618, Europe has suffered deeply. " Bismarck said eloquently, "Now, relying on God's great grace, Germany has finally been able to slowly emerge from the quagmire of chaos and war. We value this peace more than anyone else. At the same time, we want to maintain peace at all costs. It was with this desire that our kind king came to power last year. A compromise was reached with the Austrians and peace was maintained at all costs."

The Peace of Olmitz was not signed because your king was peace-loving, right?

Ciel finally endured it. This rhetorical question was not asked.

"His Majesty Franz-Josef also expressed the same enthusiasm for peace." In the end, he only gave a much gentler rebuttal.

"His Majesty Franz-Josef is a kind, wise, enthusiastic and yet calm monarch. He is the most suitable emperor that the Austrian Empire has found in a hundred years." He was not shaken by Charles's words. Bismarck replied quite seriously, "I am convinced that under his leadership, Austria will move towards a glorious future and usher in its best era ever."

There is no doubt that Franz Joseph is a very diligent monarch. He gets up before dawn every day. He has a gentle personality and has no personal luxury. However... Such a monarch can lead a country to the best direction. era? That's not necessarily the case.

However, neither of these two people had any plans to explore this further.

"So, precisely because we have this characteristic, Prussia respects the strength and prestige of France very much. She hopes that France can play a more important role in troubled Europe and become some kind of arbiter of continental disputes. At the same time, as France As a neighbor, Prussia also particularly hopes that France can maintain prosperity, because she can benefit from it," Bismarck said seemingly sincerely, "However - sincere friends like us are actually not easy to find in Europe. There are many people. I’m full of doubts about France.”

"I'm afraid..." Charles felt something was wrong.

"Mr. Treville, I hope you will not misunderstand me and regard my words as mere provocation. In fact, I have no ill intentions towards any country. I sincerely hope that every country can join hands to move toward peace." Bismarck He made a gesture and continued, "But , although we all have very good wishes for mankind and Europe, we still have to admit that peace needs the backing of force, and conflicts between major powers will inevitably exist - if there is no strength to guarantee it, any one Foreign policy cannot be carried out.”

"I think you are quite right." Charles agreed with him approvingly.

Although this statement is very straightforward, it does make sense.

"Not only strength is needed as a guarantee, but also alliances between major powers are needed to maintain. The balance created by a sophisticated strength structure is the real peace. Empty slogans cannot solve the problem." Seeing that Ciel listened very seriously to himself Elaborating, Bismarck also relaxed a lot, "If France or any major country cannot be satisfied with its status, then peace will be dangerous and unstable. In this sense, it is natural for France to restore its due status." It should be, and it is a necessity for Europe.”

"I simply can't find the words to object!" Charles shouted with feigned excitement, "I hope every foreign dignitary can understand the truth as well as you!"

"So, I think you should rely more on countries that are more well-intentioned towards France, rather than countries that are in constant conflict with France. Only by getting together with countries with good intentions can they deter those countries with bad intentions, but France can To restore her glory without taking the greatest risks." Bismarck finally revealed his final point. "And I can guarantee that Prussia is a more reliable friend in this matter than Austria."

On the German issue, France sided with Prussia to add strength to Prussia, and then France went to get the false reputation given by Prussia?

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

Well, Napoleon III did this in history, but he didn't seem to get a good ending...

"I can understand your love for Prussia and peace in Europe, but France's interference in Germany's peace may not necessarily gain much prestige -" Charles still hesitated and was not convinced by Bismarck, "Besides, your country is not Are you very friendly with Russia? You don’t need to rely too much on France to come to your country.”

"Our country is indeed very friendly with Russia, but it does not exclude friendship with other major powers in Europe, such as France." Bismarck replied without hesitation, "Although it is a bit sentimental, I must admit that Prussia can rank among the major powers in Europe. But compared to big countries like France and Russia, its strength is quite lacking, so it doesn't want to exclude anyone, and it doesn't want to exclude anyone. It does not reject anyone's goodwill - it just wants to get its due place in Germany, just as France wants to get its due place in Europe. And because of this, I think Prussia is more friendly to your country. Friends, because we do not have conflicts over other places, and as far as I know, there are always various discords between other European powers and France.”

The first sentence may make sense, but the second sentence... doesn't quite make sense. Prussia is the most rising and ambitious power today, although few foreigners know this. After they eliminated other enemies, wouldn't France be the first to bear the brunt?

Besides, after Prussia gained its "due status in Germany", does France still have any "due status in Europe"?

So many people have been deceived in history, but I am not that easy to deceive, Ciel thought to himself.

Maybe Napoleon III would have some contempt for Bismarck, but he would never dare to do so, because he knew what great achievements had happened in the original history.

"I think what you said is very frank and right." After thinking for a moment, Charles nodded with conviction. "The Prussians do not have as many demands as other countries, which is very admirable."

"You see, the Austrians are clinging to their obsolete heritage in Italy, which really makes Mr. Bonaparte very impatient." Bismarck raised his head and looked at him, ready to guess from all his reactions that France's impressive The unpredictable new master's thoughts. "Isn't it?"(~^~)