The Germans also expected that Franz Joseph I would not accept this condition so simply, and which emperor would choose to abdicate until he was desperate? The Germans therefore decided to cut off the last thoughts of Franz Joseph I.

At the Albertina Palace, Bernhard von Bülow, another envoy of the German consulate in Vienna, had a secret visit to Archduke Albrecht. The Viennese, who were angrily accusing the army of incompetence, did not know, but the Germans knew very well that if the Austro-Hungarian finances had been able to hold out for 1-2 months, the result would have been completely different.

As the commander-in-chief of the Austro-Hungarian army, Archduke Albrecht was therefore not a defeated general, but the field marshal, who won a brilliant victory at the Battle of Kustoza in 1866, still wielded incomparable power and influence.

If Archduke Albrecht could no longer support the emperor, then Franz Joseph I would lose his last pillar, and he would have no choice but to abdicate.

In order to make the Grand Duke nod, Bernhard von Billlow of Germany told the Grand Duke of Germany's plan, and persuaded him with affection and reason.

"His Royal Highness, as I said, according to this plan, the great Austro-Hungarian Empire will be divided into three, however, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Marie will become Queen of Austria and Hungary, and Archduke Ferdinand will become King of the new Croatian-Slovenian Kingdom. The crowns of the three nations still belong to the Habsburgs, and the glory of the Habsburgs has not faded. ”

"But the Habsburgs lacked the glory of being emperors." Albrecht was equally reluctant to accept that this was not just a matter of falling from the crown, but also marked the complete completion of the once glorious Austrian Empire.

"But is it not enough that Her Highness Mary's child, His Royal Highness Reinhardt, will in the future become Emperor of the German Empire, whose Emperor is half of the blood of the Habsburgs?

Your Excellency, you should know that the Ossi Empire itself has a lot of problems, and the Hungarians have been seeking independence, so even if His Majesty Joseph survives this time, what will it do? Will the devastated emperor be able to sustain the empire for a long time and never have such a crisis again? ”

Archduke Albrecht was silent, he was a man who understood. He was well aware of the austro-Hungarian internal and external troubles, but it was even more difficult for this conservative soldier to force the emperor to abdicate and destroy the empire with his own hands.

Silence is tantamount to acquiescence, and Bernhard, who decided to take advantage of the victory, began to play the emotional card.

Austria was part of the sacred German Confederation, and we fought the French and the Danes side by side. Because of a little disagreement and dispute, everyone fought, but after so many years, they have also reconciled. Now Austria is also a good choice to return to the German family

Archduke, you are the hereditary Duke of Teschen, the Duke of Germany, and His Majesty Wilhelm I, who was still King of Prussia at the time, also awarded you the rank of Field Marshal of Prussia and the Grand Order of St. George. After the Franco-Prussian War, the German Empire was established, and the Grand Duke, you were also the Field Marshal of the German Empire.

Therefore, for the sake of the well-being of all Germans, the Grand Duke, I advise His Majesty Joseph not to insist any longer, and such a choice is hello, I am good, and everyone is good.

In this way we can build a unified German Empire, and history will remember that this unified German Empire was founded by the contribution of the Grand Duke.

Bernhard departed, but his words shook the Archduke.

A unified German empire was the desire of millions of Germans, and as a German, Archduke Albrecht also wished for this.

"History will remember that a united German empire was born from your contributions." This sentence is irrepressible to him, what a glory, what a glory?

In the end, the Grand Duke chose the former between the united German Empire and the Austrian Empire.

On the other hand, the German ambassador who arrived in St. Petersburg tried to negotiate with Tsar Alexander III in the Winter Palace, trying to reach a consensus on the Austrian issue.

When he learned that the Germans were preparing to divide Austria-Hungary into three, Alexander III unceremoniously interrupted the German ambassador and said very strongly that the Germans would never be allowed to annex Austria in any form.

The Germans had expected the reaction of Tsarist Russia, and the German ambassador confidently conveyed Frederick III's meaning: "The affairs of the Germans are decided by all Germans, and the Austrian people will decide their own future by means of a referendum." And any foreign intervention was seen as a declaration of war against the German Empire. ”

Anyone can blackmail, but even if you want to blackmail, you have to have a foundation. With regard to the military mobilization of Tsarist Russia, you want to go to war with Germany? Then the lessons of the Austro-Hungarian army in Serbia are in sight.

The German ambassador also unceremoniously said that the German army was already in the second level of combat readiness, and if necessary, 400,000 troops could be sent to the German-Russian border by rail in a week, and how long would it take for the Russians to respond to the German attack? And is Russia really ready to fight a full-scale war with Germany?

Without confidence, Alexander III naturally coaxed. Since blackmail can't be accomplished, let's all talk about it seriously. You Germans came to me today, surely you didn't come to fight just to inform me that you have the ability, right?

It's a good thing to talk calmly, everyone is asking for a price to pay back, and even if you make an offer, Berlin will naturally bargain for a piece. However, since we have come to you, we must be sincere, so I hope you are also sincere and don't mess up the good deeds.

Alexander III, after consulting with his Council of Ministers (the equivalent of Prime Minister) Nikolai Bunge, made the following demands on the Germans:

1. Territorial claims were made to the Galician region of the Yuan Austro-Hungarian Empire.

2. Bulgaria must become a Russian protectorate

3. Obtain the right to garrison and pass through the Black Sea littoral countries and Serbia.

After the above three demands were transmitted back to Berlin, Frederick III said that he could agree in principle, and that the Russians' demands were not too excessive.

After the partition of Poland by Prussia, Austria and Russia in 1772, Galicia was divided to Austria. At that time, the Russians were also forced by military pressure and diplomatic difficulties to abandon their attempt to annex Poland alone. Now Austria burps, then you spit out Galicia for me.

As for sending Poland, a-stirring stick in Central Europe, to add to Russia, Jochen raised his hands in agreement, and it would be better for the Polish nobles in Galicia to make trouble all day long.

Bulgaria is clearly the Russians who are obsessed with the Mediterranean Agreement of 1887, and now is such a good time to come and find a place.

This can also be promised to the Russians, after all, the Balkans are for Germany if they can not touch it, and this point is now deeply rooted in the hearts of the people under the influence of Jochen. The disintegration of Austria-Hungary was not without Jochen's consideration of freeing himself from the shackles of the German-Austrian Treaty of Alliance and away from the Balkan powder keg.

With the Serbian gang of teases around, Jochen is not worried about Bulgaria's sidelines. As a Balkan alliance, Serbia joined forces to beat the Ottoman Turkey's small partners in the First Balkan War, and as a result, Serbia asked its ally Bulgaria to cede land to compensate him because it did not get access to the Adriatic Sea.

Bulgaria, which naturally refused, was beaten up by Serbia, a comic and Ottoman Turkey. In the end, a war broke out, and Bulgaria preferred to side with the feud Ottomans than join forces to destroy Serbia.

So, you want Bulgaria, right? No problem.

As for the ambition of His Majesty the Tsar to turn the Black Sea into an internal lake of the Russian Empire, the Germans said that it didn't matter, the Black Sea coast was the territory of the Slavs, and my hand could not reach through, so I could do whatever I wanted.

Of course, I just agreed to it all, and I was too unreserved. I also have a few additions from my side:

2. Bulgaria can be your protectorate, but Ferdinand I is from the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha royal family, and has the blood of the Habsburgs and the Kohari family. So this person was taken off the throne by you, and I couldn't save face on my side, so you asked him to sit firmly on the throne of the Bulgarian Tsar, and I was not allowed to move.

2. The disintegration of Austria-Hungary this time was entirely due to the fact that the Serbs had swept away face, and Austria was now incorporated into Germany, and we had to help get this face back, so that the Austrians could have a sense of identity. So this place in Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be given to the Serbs. Didn't you say that it was good to host? The time for trusteeship has not yet arrived, and it will be temporarily managed by the future Kingdom of Croatia-Slovenia. More on that later.

As soon as the Russians saw the reply of the Germans, they agreed to all the requests, that is, they added two small tails. This is not too much to ask, Bulgaria became a protectorate of Russia, and what could Ferdinand I do when he sat on the throne? Without the support of Austria-Hungary, do you have the ability to open a film with me? Okay, I agreed.

As for Serbia, these nationalist lunatics have won the battle against Austria-Hungary and don't know what kind of madness they have become, they want to kill the prestige. Moreover, it is nominally justified that the Croatian-Slovenian Kingdom, which is held by Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, will continue to be in charge of Bosnia and Herzegovina. No problem, I'll agree to this.

Germany and Russia reached an agreement in private, the Russian got what he wanted, and the Germans got the promise that the Russians would stay out of the way for the rest of the development. Pull one faction to fight another, and on the Austro-Hungarian issue, it is undoubtedly the Russians who have the most right to speak. As long as the Russians nod, the opinions of others really don't matter.

Without the Russian threat, the Germans could be safely prepared to deal with Britain and France.