The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1839 Survival from desperate situation
Frederick William IV really wanted to gouge out the eyes of the blind man stirring up trouble in front of him.

However, this was the Confederation Congress, and Hanover's power had been strengthened once again after the merger with its kin. At least on the surface, Prussia did not have the strength to overwhelm Hanover.

What are you hesitating about?

Franz also put some pressure on Frederick William IV, who was now in an even more awkward position.

"No, it's nothing. I just feel that this might be a little unfair to Frederick VII."

Frederick William IV blurted out, but George V gave him no chance to catch his breath and immediately pressed on.

"Where is it unfair? Please explain clearly."

Frederick William IV immediately became the focus of the entire Confederation, a feeling he clearly disliked, but he had no choice but to say something.

"We should not decide the fate of Denmark in Frederick VII's absence."

Frederick William IV thought for a long time and found that only this sentence was the most respectable and might be able to dissuade the people in front of him.

From his perspective, this statement should be impeccable, unless someone wants to usurp the power of the king.

Prussia had always been looking for ways to counter the authority of the Austrian Empire, and this time was no exception. His words were a veiled reference to Franz.

Now it is the assembly of monarchs of the German Confederation, and in front of all the monarchs, even if Franz has any dissatisfaction, he cannot express it.

Moreover, the supreme power of the monarchy is a consensus among most monarchs.

At this point, the confederation, whatever its intentions, was effectively overstepping the bounds of the legitimate ruler of Denmark, Frederick VII.

"It seems to make sense."

The monarchs present began to discuss the matter with their advisors, each with their own ulterior motives. If the confederation could bypass the monarch and interfere with the states, then what would be the point of monarchical power?
Today it could be Denmark, but who knows if it will be his turn tomorrow? Frederick William IV finally smiled.

However, Franz did not give them much time to let things continue to develop.

"Could you please invite Frederick VII here?"

This is the most direct problem. If Frederick VII could have been present, perhaps a single official document could have resolved the issue, at least stabilizing the situation and preventing it from escalating into a world war.

However, it was precisely because Frederick VII was not present that Franz had to take some extreme actions.

However, Frederick William IV didn't care about all that and just said it anyway.

"I can try."

He felt that as long as he dragged things out, it would be a victory for him. After all, Franz seemed very anxious. If Austria couldn't get things done, it would be a victory for Prussia.

"So you want to terminate this authorization and let your country and Denmark negotiate a solution?"

Franz laughed in exasperation, seemingly resigned to his fate, and Frederick William IV immediately perked up.

"Of course! Prussia certainly can!"

Franz had someone retrieve the authorization letter, then stood up and spoke.

"very good.

However, I must remind you that if you cannot resolve this crisis, then we will meet again at the Confederation Congress.

Frederick William IV thought Franz was out of his mind, and he said smugly.

"Your Majesty, as monarchs, we do not participate in Confederation conferences at the level of foreign ministers."

Franz stopped in his tracks after hearing this and turned around to speak.

"But not necessarily as a sinner of Germany."

Franz deliberately omitted any qualifiers, not specifying whether it was a nation or a confederation. He then strode away.

The monarchs of other countries also breathed a sigh of relief, as long as someone was willing to take on this mess.

George V made an even more ambiguous remark.

"Good luck to you, savior of the Confederation."

Frederick William IV calmed down at this point, and he suddenly had a bad feeling that he had stepped into a pit that the Austrian Empire had set up.

However, Frederick William IV felt he still had a chance. The situation in Denmark wasn't particularly difficult to manage; as it stood, it was just a motley crew.

He also remembered how those so-called nationalists were wiped out, although it was thanks to Austria's support at the time, but that did not mean that Prussia was incapable of dealing with them.

Regardless, Frederick William IV needed to maintain his dignity, and he calmly watched the monarchs leave the hall one by one.

Prussian Foreign Minister Alexander von Schleinitz was holding a telegram while constantly wiping sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.

"what happened?"

Frederick William IV appeared unusually calm at this moment, because he had just guessed the worst-case scenario.

However, it was unclear whether what lay before them was a trap, and how large it was. Nevertheless, Frederick William IV was prepared, determined not to yield, even if it meant mobilizing the entire nation of Prussia.

Foreign Minister Schleinitz said.

"Your Majesty, more than 50,000 people have entered the two duchies."

Frederick William IV breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

“I know that. There are already more than 20,000 armed personnel. It wouldn’t be surprising if there were 40,000 or 50,000 civilians.”

Schleinitz swallowed hard and said.

"Your Majesty, I mean that more than 50,000 of our people have entered the territory of the two duchies."

The total number of people who have entered the two duchies has probably exceeded two hundred thousand.

Frederick William IV's eyes widened immediately upon hearing this.

"What? Two hundred thousand! How is that possible? It's only been a few days! How can there be so many people?"

Schleinitz said, wiping his sweat with a handkerchief.

"Your Majesty, this is the latest intelligence for today. I just received news from the country. It wasn't this serious yesterday."

The reason for this situation is that none of the countries within the Confederation imposed many restrictions on their citizens.

There are a total of six railway lines connecting our country and Hanover to the two principalities, and they are almost always fully booked every day.

In addition, some people travel by water to the two principalities, so at least 4 to 5 people enter the area every day.

The Danish navy was already weak, and those businessmen even hired warships to storm checkpoints in order to make money.

Denmark has also issued a general mobilization order. Before Schleinitz could finish speaking, Frederick William IV had already slumped into his seat.

It is clear that the situation is completely out of control, and even a strong intervention from Prussia may not be able to stop the rampage.

As for Frederick VII's power, it was negligible; if he had been truly capable, things wouldn't have developed to this point.

What's even more dangerous is that the mercenaries and gang members also sensed a business opportunity. These savages were hoping for a fight between the two sides so they could profit from it.

Chancellor Hohenzollern-Siegmaringen, who was in Berlin, was also overwhelmed when he learned that Frederick William IV had taken on this hot potato.

There was no doubt that they were facing a volcano, and Prussia's task was to sit on the crater and block the lava that was about to erupt.

What's even more disgusting is that even if the volcanic eruption is contained, Prussia will still get burned, and those waiting to watch the spectacle outside the volcano won't show the slightest gratitude.

Prime Minister Hohenzollern-Siegmaringen simply couldn't understand why Frederick William IV dared to take on such a hot potato, and could only exclaim in disbelief.

"Damn it! We've been tricked!"

"So what do we do now?"

Prussian Interior Minister Edward Heinrich von Flottwell and War Minister Edward von Bonning asked in unison.

Neither of these two figures is particularly famous in history, partly because their successors were far more famous, and partly because neither of them was truly very capable.

"Seal off the border first! We can't let any more firewood get in! At the same time, send someone to inform the Danish side that I need to see Jacob Bjørn!"

Prime Minister Hohenzollern-Siegmaringen made a swift and decisive statement.

"But the Hanoverians are unlikely to cooperate with us."

War Minister Edward von Bonning answered with some difficulty.

"We can't worry about that now! We can only leave it to fate. Hopefully, the two sides won't fight."

Prime Minister Hohenzollern-Siegmaringen was also frustrated, wondering why Frederick William IV was so determined to go his own way.

To demonstrate Prussia's strength? Or to court death?

If civil war breaks out in Denmark, Frederick William IV's refusal to sign the Confederation at the General Assembly could truly make him a sinner against the Confederation, and even against the nation.

"The cost was far too high."

Prime Minister Hohenzollern-Siegmaringen shook his head, expressing his doubt that Prussia could weather this storm.

If Frederick William IV and Prussia are convicted of crimes, will the wolves in the Confederation take the opportunity to dismantle the Kingdom of Prussia?
After all, the situation in the Rhine region has always been unstable, and those people have long wanted to separate. With the rise of their economic power in recent years, the Rhine people in the west have even called the Prussians barbarians in the east.

The two countries' territories are not adjacent, and they also have different beliefs, economic structures, and even customary laws.

Prime Minister Hohenzollern-Siegmaringen was certain that whenever Prussia got into trouble, these people would seize the opportunity to kick it while it was down.

If Prussia loses the Rhineland, it will lose a quarter of its population and a third of its fiscal revenue.

Although it can barely maintain its status as the second strongest power in Germany, its strength will be reduced to a level very close to that of Hanover and Saxony.

As for confronting the Austrian Empire, there was simply no longer any possibility.
By then, the restoration of the Holy Roman Empire would be a relatively good outcome; Prussia itself might even be completely swallowed up.

In fact, the Greater Germanist group in Prussia has been expanding in recent years.

On the one hand, the Austrian Empire's numerous victories and rapid economic, technological, and cultural development had influenced the thinking of nationalists in Prussia.

On the other hand, it was out of fear of Russia.

It's important to understand that every time Austria wins, it essentially means Russia also wins.

Most European countries may feel disgust towards Russia, but they don't actually feel much of a sense of it.

Prussia and Sweden, however, felt a real threat, and the war plans prepared by the Prussian General Staff were almost entirely aimed at Austria and Russia.

Furthermore, the relationship between Russia and Austria also made the Prussians uneasy, as they were unsure whether the two great powers would join forces to each get what they wanted.

Faced with these two enormous threats, a significant portion of the Prussians thought that if they couldn't win, they should join forces, thus resolving their dilemma.

In fact, due to the Austrian Empire's own vague definition of Austrians, many Prussians felt that they were much purer than the Austrian minorities.

There have always been two opposing views in the field of historical research: one is ethnic nationalism, and the other is civic nationalism.

The former is based on bloodline, language, culture, and history, while the latter is based on civil rights, the national constitution, and core values.

However, the Austrian nation that Franz invented was based on universal values ​​and dynastic history, as well as so-called loyalty and identity.

This very blurred boundary means that almost any European can be loosely called Austrian, and if the scope is expanded slightly, it can be called all of humanity.

Moreover, for most people of that era, joining the Austrian Empire would bring better treatment, more opportunities, and even the chance to develop in the colonies.

Especially in culture and entertainment, the Prussians themselves believed that Vienna alone could crush the entire Prussian nation.

In fact, the Austrian Empire's invasions went far beyond this. Many Prussian schools used Austrian textbooks, especially in university classrooms.

Not only Prussia, but the entire German Confederation was influenced by the Austrian Empire.

Its influence extends to politics, economics, culture, military affairs, and even dietary habits and systems.

Various fast food, alcoholic beverages, candies, and tobacco products from the Austrian Empire appeared on the streets of various countries and quickly found their niche.

In particular, Franz's carp and Pilsner beer, as well as fried pork chops, have already spread to major cities across the European continent.

The systems of the Austrian Empire were also highly regarded, such as the Austrian Empire's "Sanitation Law" and "Epidemic Prevention Law," as well as the Austrian Empire's earlier declaration of war against rats.

Although it is seen as an international joke by important figures in various countries, the general public and civil society groups have been imitating it.

Music and drama in the Austrian Empire also swept through the German Confederation, and the Austrian Empire's entertainment industry was particularly diverse and appealing to all tastes.

The whole of German society was changing, not to mention Prussia, which was just one part of it.

If it weren't for his family and bloodline, Prime Minister Hohenzollern-Sigmallingen would not have wanted to participate in the fight against this almost invincible monster.

A somber mood pervaded the entire Prussian upper class, with everyone feeling uncertain about their future.

Bismarck also arrived in Berlin, and he was bewildered when he heard from a friend in the Foreign Ministry about Frederick William IV's baffling actions.

Bismarck couldn't even be sure whether Franz had deliberately set a trap or whether Frederick William IV had insisted on taking on this hot potato.

However, the current situation is beyond the capacity of Prussia to handle alone. The most sensible course of action is to request the Confederation to step in and take over this mess.

Otherwise, Prussia would become the target of everyone's criticism. At that time, forget about unifying Germany; it would be a blessing if it weren't excluded from the German Confederation.

To be honest, Bismarck didn't know how to resolve the situation either, highlighting that no matter what he did, it would be wrong.

However, fate did help Prussia; Frederick William IV drew a lot of smoke.