Ps. According to the usual practice, I would like to thank Pi Phi for the tip of the book friend, thank you for your support.

"My lord, about the German-Austrian Alliance, are you going to make it secret, or are you going to make it public?" Joey asked casually.

"The Austrian friend means that the secret is made. Of course, I am also inclined to this view. "The old prime minister has no tendency to hide himself.

"My lord, father, but my suggestion is that this German-Austrian covenant should be made public." Joey has always been wary of the historical German-Austrian Covenant, and although he tried to make this covenant taste a little more tonight, these changes still could not make Joey completely satisfied.

"Since this covenant is exclusively for defense, an imperial covenant guaranteeing the inviolability of Austro-Hungarian territory, it should be made public, and my reason is simple." Joey began to explain the reasons point by point.

"First, to prevent the Austrians from taking advantage of the secret existence of the Covenant and having any unrealistic ideas, such as military adventures in the Balkans and the Near East."

"Second, make it clear to the Russians that the bottom line of the empire lies in the territorial integrity of Austria-Hungary, and it has no intention of attacking Russia with Austria-Hungary. With the exception of the Austro-Hungarian territories, the Reich would not support any actions of the Austrians in the Balkans and the Near East. ”

"Thirdly, a defensive pact can only show the determination of the Empire to defend peace, and show that our armed forces only want to defend their own countries and allies, and have no intention of invading other countries. You must know that the alliances between countries before this were all for the purpose of war and aggression. We must publicize this kind of political pact between Germany and Austria! ”

"Your Royal Highness, what is the purpose behind the disclosure of the reasons for the covenant?" The old prime minister has been in the diplomatic field for decades, and he can see through at a glance that behind Joey's high-sounding reasons, there is another real purpose.

"Frankly speaking, I want to take advantage of the dispute between Britain, Russia, and Austria-Hungary in the Balkans and the Near East to continue to drag the British into the water, because one Chile alone is not enough for the British." Joey didn't care about the old prime minister's reasons for directly exposing himself, and said lightly.

Hearing his son say this, Crown Prince Frederick had another headache, this little son didn't know why, he always had malicious intentions towards his favorite Britain, and changed his tricks from South America to the Balkans and the Near East, and he was about to pull Britain into the water at every turn.

"In South America, through Russia, it is true that the British can be drawn in, but in the Near East and the Balkans, the British have already confronted the Russians, and there is no need to rely on any external conditions to continue to strengthen the Russian-British confrontation." The old prime minister frowned, completely unaware of what Joey meant.

"My lord, if we do not support the interests of Austria-Hungary in the Balkans and the Near East, in order to fight the Russians, who will Austria-Hungary look for?" Joey asked.

"Huh?" The old prime minister did not answer Joey immediately, but thought down Joey's train of thought, "Of course, look for the British, since the Crimean War, the Austrians have relied on the British to get the benefits of the Balkans, and if the Austrians and the British form an alliance on the Near East..... No, this little guy is by no means simple, let Austria-Hungary walk with the British, he wants to push Austria-Hungary to the British?! The idea is kind of interesting, but ....."

"Your Royal Highness, are you going to push Austria to the British?!" Chancellor Bismarck suddenly glared and asked angrily, "The Austrians are of the same culture as Germany, and if I lose this natural ally, the situation in Eastern Europe will be completely out of control, and the German Empire will be attacked on three sides, and I will never allow this to happen." ”

"My lord, with all due respect, even if I wanted to put Austria-Hungary to the government of the British, the British would not accept it. The Prime Minister of the Government in charge of the affairs of the British state is elected by the Parliament, and the British Parliament will not pass a parliamentary state unless it is under serious threat of war. ”

"As long as you are here, I don't think the European continent will see the danger of a national war between Britain and Russia, and peace in Europe is in your hands." Joey gently complimented the old prime minister at the right time.

"My lord, you are completely aware of how biased the British are against the old monarchy on the mainland."

"We have already discussed a change of government in the UK, and Mr Gladstone has a good chance of replacing the Conservative Prime Minister Disraeli. My lord, do you think Mr. Gladstone will continue Prime Minister Disraeli's foreign policy? Joey asked the old prime minister.

This sentence asked the old prime minister, the British government from Castlereagh as foreign minister, vigorously supported the European coordination mechanism of the Holy Alliance, to Foreign Minister Canning, but the British government withdrew from the Holy Alliance's British priority policy, to the foreign minister Granville's theory of the balance of power in Europe, until now the glorious isolation policy, in the past 50 years, every time a new British government comes to power, the British people's foreign policy has been adjusted.

From actively advocating the Holy Alliance to suppress the emerging bourgeois forces, to throwing off the Holy Alliance for the sake of the interests of the bourgeoisie at home, and then completely burying the Holy Alliance with a battlefield on the Crimean Peninsula, if there is one thing that has not changed in British foreign policy, it is the bloody British interest supremacy.

In contrast, it is an autocratic monarchy, and it is the sincere maintenance of diplomatic alliances, and it is long for an alliance to last forever, and the alliance concluded by the monarchical emperor seems to be naturally wrapped in a layer of the emperor's personal morality.

"So, my lord, I don't think the English are willing to ally with Austria-Hungary." Joey looked at the old prime minister who refused to speak, and softly spoke his heart for Bismarck.

"But in the Russian-Austrian dispute between the Balkans and the Near East, I think it is better to push Austria to the British than for us to fight for Austria-Hungary, and we have no need to do anything offensive to the Russians."

"If the British are willing to help, then the British will be dragged into the water and participate in this game of alliances, and if the British do not help, the Austrians will give up their unrealistic illusions and stay honestly on this German ship."

"What we need are allies who follow the Empire wholeheartedly, not allies who are always thinking about themselves." Joey stated his purpose.

"Your Royal Highness, what are your plans?" The old prime minister thought and thought, and asked helplessly.

"My lord, after the announcement of the German-Austrian alliance, the Russians will understand that Germany's bottom line is to maintain the integrity of Austria-Hungary, and we can also imply to the Russians that we have no interests in the Balkans and the Near East, and we do not care about the Balkans and the Near East." Joey made the first point.

"Stay out of the way, you're ready to light the fires in the Balkans and the Near East." The old prime minister commented in his heart.

"Not everyone in Austria-Hungary liked the German Empire, such as the overthrow of the pro-German Count Andrách. My suggestion is that the Reich do nothing without a pro-German Austro-Hungarian Foreign Secretary who is willing to listen to Germany's advice. Joey continued to whisper the second point.

"Watching from the sidelines, you're going to sit back and watch Baron Hemmelle get into trouble." The old prime minister's mind came to the appearance of his old acquaintance, who was about to become the Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister, and he cursed in his heart, "This Russian follower!" ”

"For Austria-Hungary to strengthen the base of Germany, in short, the superiority of the Germans in Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, and the Sudetenland must be maintained, and the Germans have created the splendor of Czech industry today, and we must strengthen the centripetal force of these regions towards the empire."

Joy pursed his lips, "If the Greater German policy is to be pursued, the Reich needs to assume that when Vienna is unable to control the domestic situation, Germany needs to intervene and fully support its fellow Germans in the spirit of the pan-Germanics. ”

After hearing Joey's words, the old prime minister was silent, and the crown prince asked with some surprise, "Jojo, what are you worried about?" ”

"Father, I am afraid that after the resignation of Count Andrách, Vienna's accommodation to the Czechs will lead to damage to the interests of the Germans in the above-mentioned areas." Joy looked at the old chancellor and continued to his father, "Judging from the newspapers in Vienna, the Czechs have fallen into a state of madness over the resignation of the Count, and there is even a voice in the Czech Republic that the Czechs want to create a Czech government in the Czech language. ”

"Isn't the Czechs gaining an equal status within Austria-Hungary conducive to intra-Austro-Hungarian national reconciliation? Jojo, what do you mean, will the national question in the Czech Republic turn into a disaster? In nineteenth-century Germany, another meaning of liberalism was that of a nationalist, and as a liberal, Crown Prince Frederick was also a supporter of nationalist policies, and he always had a sympathetic attitude towards the national autonomy of various countries.

"Father, Czech nationalism is different from German nationalism, to put it simply, the formation of today's German Empire, although the Austro-Prussian War played a role in it, is generally an elite nationalism, and it is the combination of top-down and bottom-up forces that completes the unification of the German nation."

"The German Empire has always been dominated by Germanic people, and although we have different religious beliefs, we are the same nation, and in the process of unification of such nation-states, there will be no antagonism and contradictions between nations."

"But the Czech Republic is different, although the population is large, but it is at a disadvantage economically, technologically and politically, the Germans are small, but they have science and politics, and the Jews who also know German control the economy, which is a German-speaking region. From a civilizational point of view, this is the region of the Germans, but from a demographic point of view, this is the territory of the West Brothers. ”

"If the Czechs are really allowed to form a state and a government, and turn the dualistic Austria-Hungary into a three-dimensional, the first thing that the Czechs have to do when they come to power is a nation-state established by grassroots nationalists, and those Czech careerists who have no experience in governing the country..."

"The first thing to do is to create contradictions and stir up the discontent of the poor Czechs against the rich Germans and Jews, and as long as there is a fierce inter-ethnic infighting, it can cover up the low level of governance of these newly elected Czech politicians." The old prime minister suddenly interjected in a low voice.

"If the demands of the Czechs are met, it will be a disaster for the Germans in the German-speaking world, because the Czechs are too small and have so many resources, and if the Czechs want to get more resources immediately, they will inevitably grab them through infighting." Joy added to his father.

"That is why, Your Highness the Crown Prince, I am anxious to sign the German-Austrian Alliance, for it is also a guarantee of security for the Germans in Austria-Hungary." The old prime minister followed Joey's words and once again promoted his idea of a German-Austrian alliance.

"So, my lord, I suggest that you embody a pan-Germanic spirit in the German-Austrian League. Our help to the Germans in the Czech Republic is formally based on our understanding of the Germanic spirit. ”

Looking at the somewhat surprised old prime minister, Joey sneered in his heart, "My lord, I will never let the Badney incident in history in 1897 repeat itself, and I will never let any German, any Germanic be forced to hang himself because he doesn't know the damn Czech!" Since you will sell your German-Austrian Covenant with smuggling goods, I will also sell my pan-Germanic spirit in this Covenant. ”

"Pan-Germanic spirit? What do you mean? Hearing this spirit of Joey a few times, the old prime minister couldn't help but ask.

"My lord, to put it simply, is the spirit of mutual assistance among all the Germanic peoples, and for any Germanic people living in other countries, the empire needs to provide all the help from the point of view of national feelings, I mean all help." Joey looked at the old prime minister and said firmly, "If other countries treat the Germanic people unfairly, the empire needs to intervene!" ”

"But the Germanic people living in other countries are citizens of other countries after all, and this is interfering in the internal affairs of other countries." Lao Zai retorted with hesitation in response to Joey's strong stance on the national question.

"The human rights of the Germanic people are higher than the sovereignty of other countries!" For the first time in the world, Joy has shouted the most famous principle of interstate intervention of the twenty-first century, albeit reworked and tinged with nineteenth-century nationalism.

"The human rights of the Germanic people are higher than the sovereignty ....." The old prime minister looked at the Joey in front of him, and suddenly broke out, and seemed to see the situation of the empire's intervention in the Balkans and Near East countries in the future, "What empire has no interests in the Balkans and the Near East, bullshit, purely for this sentence that the human rights of the Germanic people are higher than sovereignty to ambush, and when necessary, they will use the pretext of human rights to send troops!" This little guy is just a little bastard! Well, a kind of cute bastard indeed! The old prime minister scolded viciously with love and hate in his heart.

"The human rights of the Germanic people are above sovereignty, ha, Qiaoqiao, your sentence is interesting, I want to borrow your sentence on some occasions in the future, no problem!" The crown prince, who is liberal and nationalist, has a feeling of seeing each other late when he hears this.

"Of course, Dad, this sentence is actually a long-term manifestation of your spirit, and I am just refining your spirit." Joey was cheeky and began to pat his father's ass directly in front of the old prime minister.

"Shameless guy!" The old prime minister threw his head up and spat out a cigar to the sky, and once again despised Joey fiercely in his heart.

"I said, it's getting late, you two, let's move on to the previous topic." The crown prince was also restless by Joey's clumsy and lackluster sycophancy, and decided to ignore his son's sensual compliments and pull the conversation back to the point.

After giving him an embarrassed look at his father and the prime minister, Joey continued, "Guided by the pan-Germanic spirit, in addition to grasping the basic situation within Austria-Hungary, we must also gain the support of the Hungarians, especially to strengthen the pro-German forces within Hungary. Father, I propose that in the import of cereals, there should be appropriate tariff reductions for agricultural products from Hungary. ”

"Within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a Hungary that speaks for Germany and is pro-German from top to bottom will play a constructive role in maintaining the German-Austrian alliance."

After Joey said this, the old prime minister couldn't help but scold in his heart, "Hell! You little bastard, you're thinking about Vienna's political legacy! My German-Austrian alliance is for the maintenance of Austria-Hungary, but you are thinking about what Austria-Hungary can gain from it after it is finished soon. ”

"Why are you so unconfident in Austria-Hungary?!"

Thinking of this, the old prime minister couldn't help it, and directly asked Joey why he had no confidence in Austria-Hungary.

Joey looked at the unhappy old prime minister, and knew that he couldn't get around it, because he was not optimistic about the prospects of Austria-Hungary, and the confusion brought to the old prime minister.

"My lord, because I am not optimistic about the dual imperial system of the Austro-Hungarian Empire...."

The old prime minister waved his hand with a cigar and directly stopped what Joey wanted to say, "Your Royal Highness, don't be fooled by the appearance of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, although the Austro-Hungarian Empire is a dual empire composed of the Austrian government and the Hungarian government, but the foreign minister, the economic minister, and the military minister of these two governments are all one person, and the central government they form is loyal to His Majesty Fritz, so you have to understand that this is an empire, an Austro-Hungarian Empire." ”

"Although both governments had their own prime ministers, the Austro-Hungarian monarch had the power of removal of the prime minister and the veto power over the parliament, and His Majesty Fritz remained the supreme ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire! The strength of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was beneficial to the German Empire! ”

The old prime minister gave Joey a lesson in Austro-Hungarian politics, hoping to correct the wrong things in Joey's consciousness.

"Your Excellency, you are right, His Majesty Fritz does have supreme power, but please do not ignore that the strength of any empire depends on the efficient functioning of the government, not on a diligent emperor or the support of the German Empire. The abundance of evidence available suggests that I do not believe that the efficiency of the functioning of the Austro-Hungarian government can be trusted. Joey retorted unceremoniously.

"The structure of three governments is far less effective than that of a clearly centralized government. The most ridiculous thing is that the Austro-Hungarian Empire, such a huge empire, did not even have a unified official language, and a unified language is the most important link to maintain a multi-ethnic state. ”

"But what did Austria-Hungary do? To use the simple example of the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Parliament, the Reich Chancellor made a speech in German announcing policy, the Czech nationalist parliamentarian angrily denounced the Chancellor in Czech, and the Galician Ukrainian representative took the opportunity to sing a song affectionately. ”

"Austrians feel like Austrians, Hungarians think they are Hungarians, Czechs think they are Czechs, and no one in Austria-Hungary agrees that Austria-Hungary is a unified country."

Joy looked at the old prime minister and decided to sprinkle another handful of salt to let the old prime minister see the nature of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

"My lord, I remember an Austro-Hungarian joke where someone asked an Austro-Hungarian nobleman which one would he choose between the Austro-Hungarian Emperor and the members of Parliament?"

"This nobleman said, of course I choose the members of the parliament!"

"Why don't you choose the Emperor?!"

"Oh no, you know what, in the face of those noisy chattering councillors, the Emperor can only say: Please be quiet, gentlemen!"

"And as a member of Parliament, I can say to the Emperor: Shut up, stupid donkey!"

After listening to what Joey said, this Austro-Hungarian joke that has been circulating in the German Empire for a long time, the old chancellor smacked his lips, and wisely decided not to dwell on the Austro-Hungarian issue, no matter what, as long as he is in the position of prime minister, out of the consideration of Greater Germany, he will still try his best to support Austria-Hungary.

As for whether Austria-Hungary can become a thousand-year-old empire and survive forever, or become a prey to be divided, the old prime minister decided to let the little guy in front of him think about it, at least in his lifetime, he still expects Austria-Hungary to be there all the time.

In any case, for the Habsburg Empire, any Prussia has an orthodox feeling that does not forget its original intention.

Joy looked at the silent old prime minister, knowing that his idea of planning an Austro-Hungarian political legacy had been tacitly approved by the old prime minister, and estimated that as long as he blatantly dismembered Austria-Hungary, he would not be opposed by the old prime minister if he only privately won over the Germans and Hungarians in Austria through economic and cultural exchanges.

After all, winning over the Germans and the Hungarians was also an important cornerstone of the German-Austrian alliance.

Thus, the foreign policy of the German Empire for the next few years quietly underwent some changes on the night of the intersection of late spring and early summer in 1879.

On the basis of the German-Austrian Alliance, the historical direction of the Three Emperors Alliance was not changed in attracting the Russians, but there were many differences in details.

Change 1: The Germans began to actively build their own sphere of influence for the sake of profit, and they also cleverly used the folk way to do so.

Change 2: Break the glorious isolation policy of the British, drag the British into the gladiatorial arena of the alliance of great powers, and put an end to the idea that the British can only reap benefits without paying the price.

Change 3: For the French, from unilateral encirclement, to a combination of encirclement and trapping, containment is to continue Prime Minister Bismarck's policy of continental alliance, digging a trap is to let the French bleed, to fill the bottomless pit of the Russians, and then draw money from the bottom of the kettle to make France unable to expand its colonies and spheres of influence.

Change 4, for the Russians, not only through the Three Emperors Alliance, but also through acting together to cheat the French money, and more importantly, to use financial tools to set up a bureau to absorb the Russians' money into Germany.

Change 5, efforts to promote the situation of the French and Russian navies jointly against the British Royal Navy, so that Joey quietly planned the rise of his own German Royal Navy.

Change 6: For Austria-Hungary, Joey, or Germany, from now on, is ready to use the German-Austrian Customs Union and begins to think about its political legacy.

7. The German Empire did not pay attention to the Balkans and the Near East, but was just waiting for the right opportunity to enter the market, waiting for the human rights of a Germanic people, which was higher than the sovereignty of other countries.

Rome was not built in a day, and it will take a lot of time for Joey's plans to succeed, but after having a plan, you can always know what you want to do and what direction you are advancing.

It's late at night in Berlin, but there's no end to the conversation.

"Father, my lord, after talking about Europe, in fact, I have one of the most ready-made touchstones of imperial foreign policy, which is the East Asian question! If I could, I'd like to talk about this and we'll rest again! Joey's eyes were still shining.