Flowers, Swords and France

"You are so pretentious! You are so pretentious! Why can't you be honest with each other when we are the only ones present? If you do this, you will definitely bring about a war that will spread across Europe!"

Because Charles and Bismarck's answers were too insincere, Prince Metternich couldn't help but get angry and scolded these two pretentious young men. "France loves peace, Prussia loves peace? Gentlemen, this joke is not funny. How many wars have these two countries launched over the years? Which of these two countries is not ambitious now? If you answer this way, you are violating us. The purpose of being open and honest is to treat me like a confused old man!”

Charles and Bismarck felt quite embarrassed to be scolded so mercilessly by the prince. They looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

Although this is a private party, the status of the three people is of great importance. Therefore, except for Prince Metternich, who has retired, no one dares to talk without any taboos to avoid causing trouble to themselves. Therefore, the first meeting between Charles and Bismarck The reaction was as peaceful as in public.

"As for you... you two may not hate peace, but you certainly don't love peace, because you all love yourself, just like me!" After scolding the prince for a while, his anger still lingered, "You are so Saying that only means that you don’t intend to be honest at all, but It's just a perfunctory thing to make an old man like me happy - but... hell, I'm not an ordinary person, I'm Metternich, and you can't make me happy with these tricks of yours. If you respect me, you should! Come here with the brains and sincerity you deserve and communicate with me in a decent way!”

"I'm sorry... Your Highness, I shouldn't have spoken to you so casually." Seeing the old man losing his temper so violently, Charles finally couldn't sit still. "Maybe my words are a bit exaggerated. In France, there are indeed people who are longing for it all the time. Destroying the existing peace, but the love of peace is really mainstream... especially now that we have been admitted into the European family."

"I also regret that I said some things that were unpleasant to you, Your Highness." Bisma also apologized to the prince, "In the eyes of the world, we Prussians are indeed warlike. There is nothing I can do to change people's attitude. But I can assure you that no matter how warlike the Prussians are, they are actually willing to maintain peace that is beneficial to themselves.”

"This is how you behave." The prince's face finally looked better, and he was no longer as angry as before. "I tentatively think that you are sincere enough now, because even though you are secretive, you still express your true will - yes, you only accept peace that is beneficial to you, and only when you are in an advantageous position. Be calm and calm. Once Europe is not what you want, you will not support peace. Considering that you will be in charge of a powerful country in the next ten or fifteen years and use it to impose your will, you have to do so. It’s very worrying…”

Bismarck was startled.

He was feeling depressed now, but Prince Metternich claimed that he would be able to command a country and display his ambitions in the future, which really flattered him. What surprised him even more. The prince's meaning also implies an even more astonishing corollary - after taking power, he will likely have a military encounter with the young man in front of him (of course he is not young at that time).

Really...what can be done? He thought to himself.

What he pursued tirelessly was to unify Germany with Prussia as the core, and to use this unified German country to influence - and furthermore, dominate - the new order in Europe.

In order to achieve this goal, he would not hesitate to launch a war, and he would ruthlessly sweep away anyone who stood in his way. And France may become its own obstacle at that time.

And what about this young man? What would he think? Could he think the same as me?

There should be... taking charge of a country and then using the country's strength to dominate the European order. What ambitious person wouldn't think so?

Maybe it's really possible that the two of us will meet at war in the future? Such thoughts flashed through his mind, and then he turned to look at Treville unconsciously. He didn't expect that. At this time, Charles de Treville also turned to look at him, and the two people looked at each other.

Although this young man was smiling all over his face. But he didn't flinch at all, like a piece of solid ice wrapped under a coat of etiquette.

He should have thought of this too.

The corners of Bismarck's mouth moved slightly, and he gave him a meaningful smile.

Very good, very good... You can become a worthy opponent. If the day comes... let's fight to win.

The raging fire burned in his heart again, and he swept away the recent decadence. Replenished with fighting spirit. Yes, his career is indeed in trouble now, but isn't it still early? I am still young, I still have inexhaustible energy, and I still have the ambition to ignite the world. Ten years... isn't it just ten years? Wouldn't it be nice for Prince Metternich to witness who wins and who loses in heaven at that time?

He became more and more excited, his whole body trembled slightly, and he almost burst out laughing. It was almost relying on his extraordinary self-control that he did not reveal too much traces of himself.

"I'm glad that you value me so much, Your Highness. Ten to fifteen years is not an easy time to live through... Who can tell clearly about the future?" He looked at Charles and almost bit his tongue. Literally said, "However, I love my motherland and am willing to dedicate everything to it. If one day my motherland needs my enthusiasm and energy, then I will dedicate it to it without reservation."

"Where do you want to vent all this enthusiasm and energy?" Metternich had observed the interaction between the two young people, but he turned a deaf ear.

"Of course it is placed on the great rejuvenation of the German nation, Your Highness. In my opinion, for any pure German, this is the only great cause at the moment." Bismarck turned his eyes and looked at the senior with dignity. , "Germany has caused chaos because of itself." Chaos has become the slaughterhouse of various countries for many years, and it has encountered many disasters? Now it must heal the old wounds as soon as possible, and then use the strength of the nation to fight against every bayonet that reaches it. Otherwise it will just sink forever.”

"You seem to have said many similar words during the imperial meeting." The prince was not infected by his passionate emotions, but said calmly, "Count Thun said several times that you tried to use these words to encourage him to support your views. ”

Count Thurn, the Austrian ambassador to the Imperial Council, was an equally pretentious man. As a descendant of Metternich, he often came to listen to the prince's teachings. On the one hand, Bismarck was motivated by his own character, and on the other hand, in order to compete with Austria, he was often arrogant and rude to him, which made him angry several times. Speak ill of the rich country man in front of the prince.

"I said it at home, I said it in Berlin, and I said it in the Reichstag. These words are my eternal views, and I will say them unequivocally everywhere." Bismarck was not moved by the prince's implicit accusation. He flinched, "Of course I also know that if you want to achieve your goals, words alone are not enough. I'm just giving you a preview, that's all."

"After all, he is a Prussian..." The prince sighed slightly and pondered for a moment before speaking again. "Sir, as a German, I have no objection to your lofty ideals. I also hope that the German nation can be revived and gain its due status in Europe. However, we must see that in addition to the nation, there is also the existence of the state. We must proceed with caution, Europe should be a fertile land for all peoples to live in harmony and exist as citizens in their own countries.”

"If a country can't even defend its national interests, or is unwilling to defend it, then what's the point of its existence? Is it just to collect more taxes?" Perhaps because of some excitement, Bismarck asked the prince without giving up, " Sir, in an era when foreign artillery rolls over our land every ten or twenty years, we should leave words like harmony and paradise in the next century!”

"You two, please stop talking. I think you have already touched on an irrelevant topic." Seeing that the two were about to quarrel, Charles immediately intervened and stopped them.

This is the fundamental difference between Prussia and Austria. Prussia could arm itself with national enthusiasm and agitation. Austria cannot. The ruling ethnic group in Austria is German, but there are also Czechs, Hungarians, Croats and other ethnic groups with huge populations in the territory. When it comes to national enthusiasm, the entire foundation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is shaken - or It can be said that in the era of nation-states, Austria itself is an anachronistic alternative, with congenital weakness.

Therefore, Austria can only have Metternich, not Bismarck. Of course, this is good for France.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Your Highness, I went too far." Bismarck also felt that his words were inappropriate and quickly apologized to the prince. It is hard to say how sincere he was.

"It's nothing, young man, after all, he is too full of blood." The prince waved his hand to indicate that he didn't mind. "In short, what I want to say is very simple, that is, you cannot harm the real interests of your country because of your own pursuits. If you have such a character and do not exercise self-restraint, you will drag Europe into another war. It is a tragedy, and such a tragedy will not do any good to either of you, it will only benefit the real enemy of Europe!"

"The real enemy?" Charles and Bismarck were both a little surprised.

"Europe is far from a prosperous and prosperous age. On the contrary, it is full of crises and will reach the brink of collapse if it is not careful. And the situation is getting worse almost every moment." Prince Metternich said unhurriedly Said, "To the west, Europe has to deal with a shrewd and cunning little shopkeeper, They want to enrich themselves by provoking civil strife in Europe; in the east, Europe has to face a ferocious and violent villain who wants to swallow Europe whole! Although these two people look different, they are equally cunning! Vicious, and also wishing that Europe would never have peace. It is very regrettable that their goals have been successfully achieved at least in recent centuries. We Europeans, real Europeans, have consumed our few energy in killing each other, and as a result, the two villains have The disciples took everything away, and when we come to our senses, we see What has happened? Oh my God, the two largest empires in the world have stood at both ends of Europe, suffocating all true Europeans like icy walls! The urgent needs before us are no longer what they are. Instead of killing each other, we must unite to save ourselves!”

Perhaps because he was in the mood, a few rosy patches suddenly appeared on the prince's pale face, and he kept waving his hands, as if he was speaking in parliament.

"Are we really bad? No... we are extremely powerful. We have great strength, but it has been sadly consumed by killing each other. If our three countries unite, then There's nothing you can do about the villains from the east and the west. France does whatever it wants, doesn't it?" Prince Metternich also revealed his answer at this time, "France and Prussia both have extremely capable and large armies, and Austria also has them. When they are combined, they are by no means villains. We can match it..."

When Ciel heard this. Finally understood the prince’s true intention.

"Only a contented country, only a country that no longer seeks to kill itself with its European brothers, can do this." The rosiness on the prince's face slowly receded, and he turned back into that slow old man, " Only in this way can it be able and willing to work hand in hand with Austria sincerely and without confrontation to jointly create a Europe controlled by real Europeans. Europe. I am already old and I am afraid that I will not be able to witness the birth of such a Europe, but you... you are still young. If you work hard, there is hope and it can be achieved, even if it does not happen in one or two generations. We can do it within. I really don’t want to see you being deceived by villains and embarking on a tragic path even though you have the opportunity to create achievements that will last forever.”

The prince's words were indeed as beautiful as before, Charles thought to himself secretly.

Although the prince painted a wonderful picture, the background of Charles was still clear. He wanted a new Viennese order, an Austrian-dominated version of the Three Emperors Alliance, to let France. The three powers of Austria and Prussia came together to form the core of Europe, and then the Austrian Empire was embedded in such a Europe as a puzzle piece to maintain its own existence. By the way, Britain and Russia are excluded.

It looks touching on the surface, but in fact I am mainly thinking about Austria. The prince indeed correctly recognized the fact that Austria needed an alliance to survive in the future, but if it found only one alliance, it would inevitably become a follower of that alliance, so for the sake of balance, he simply conceived a two-part alliance. A new system of alliances.

If it can be achieved. That is of course the most ideal... But how can this desire to "deny oneself and return to propriety" and "join forces to fight against aggression" impress the new generation of ambitious young people?

What these young people want is a European order in which they lead, not a European order in which they are a participant. At least Charles was not impressed, because he knew very well the energy of Prussian and German nationalism when it burst out. No matter what the Austrians said, Bismarck would unswervingly promote his ideals.

"Your Highness, what you said makes sense." Bismarck suddenly spoke at this time, "I really didn't expect you to have such a grand idea."

"I completely agree with you, Your Highness." Charles bowed to the prince with great respect. "I have always believed that Europe needs to unite to fight against those overly large empires, but there have never been many responders. In addition, history Old habits have left a track for each of us, and it’s too difficult to get out of it.”

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

"Yes, it's too difficult. Even you don't quite believe it can come true." The prince sighed, "But I sincerely hope that you can work hard towards this goal in the future. Austria will respond to all similar proposals. of."

"If in this structure the interests of the German nation are solidly guaranteed," Bismarck said seriously, "I will."

"If France's interests are firmly guaranteed in this structure..." Charles said, imitating Bismarck's tone, "I will do the same."

The two young men unexpectedly picked up their palms and clapped them gently. The applause became louder and more intense. Finally, Richard also clapped, and the sound of clapping filled the whole place. The room... looks like the best future.

This topic was terminated with tacit understanding by them with applause. From then on, the entire conversation progressed in the direction of small talk. The prince no longer talked about those important things, but only talked about interesting things from the past, just like a man who could only stay on the sickbed. Like an old man reminiscing about the past.

When it got late, both young men said goodbye. Bismarck had activities in the evening, and Charles had already booked a room in a hotel on the outskirts of the city, preparing to receive French diplomats stationed there.

When the two young men left the room, the prince's expression was still as calm as water, and he rocked the rocking chair silently.

"Dad, what do you think?" Richard was worried about his father's health, so he approached the prince and asked.

"I'm fine, son..." the prince sighed, "but I'm afraid you won't get better, and neither will Europe in the future."

"What?" Richard was shocked, "You mean...?"

"Didn't you notice? They are all ready to fight and would rather take risks for this." The prince shook his head, "Why are each of them so stubborn and unwilling to listen to the old man's advice?"

"Did they all enthusiastically agree with you just now?" Richard was still a little unbelievable.

"Yes, they agreed with me and then turned a deaf ear. Or worse than this, they strengthened their will because they felt that the path I pointed out to them was too unattractive." The prince seemed a little sad. Yes, the prince sighed, "At that time, one or even both of them will fall like Napoleon, but mediocre people can continue to live. This is really a regrettable world!"

"Then... what should we do?" Richard asked a little confused.

"Wait and then choose sides, it's that simple." The prince lowered his gaze, looking very tired. "I'm afraid I won't see that day, but you can prepare early. May God bless you. My child, Send me to rest, I’m really tired after talking so much today.”

"Okay, father." Richard responded quickly, then helped his father and took him to the bed in the bedroom. With his son's support, the prince's back looked so thin and staggering, as if he was far away. same era.

……………………

While Metternich and his son were talking, Charles and Bismarck, who had already reached the door downstairs, stopped again. They opened their mouths in unison, but no one said anything.

After this awkward silence lasted for a while, Bismarck reluctantly spoke. "Mr. Treville, you are the Frenchman I admire most, even more than I admire M. Bonaparte."

"It's my honor." Charles smiled calmly.

At this time, red clouds began to gather in the sky, and the earth was dyed golden.

"His Royal Highness the Prince just said some unpleasant things, I ask you not to take it to heart." Under this magnificent scenery, Bismarck suddenly looked up at Charles, "Please believe that I have no regard for you. No malice.”

"I have no ill intentions towards you. On the contrary, I admire your ambition and hard work." Charles responded in kind.

"Then..." Bismarck suddenly stretched out his hand to Charles, "If that unfortunate scene really happened and I was lucky enough to win, I will definitely treat you preferentially. You will not be affected by those mediocre people in your country. vengeful intrusion.”

"If that day comes, I will also treat you preferentially. No matter what, I will never let you end up with a disgraceful end." Charles also extended his hand to Bismarck, "I really, really Appreciate you.”

"No, I will not accept the result of my ideal being shattered and failed. If there really comes a day, I will commit suicide." While holding hands with Charles and looking at the unpredictable glow of the sky, Bismarck suddenly grew In one breath, "So you see, Mr. Treville, I use my own life as the basis to fight against fate. I will succeed or perish! Please, you must also take your ideal seriously... If you hesitate You can't beat me."

"Okay, I will do the same." Charles used all his strength and shook his hand. (~^~)