The fourth monthly pass is completed, ask for a monthly pass! The title of the previous chapter was wrong, William said that the emperor wrote it incorrectly, and I will contact the editor tomorrow to fix ~щ~~lā

It was a regret that Wilhelm I was not crowned king at Versailles, so when King Wilhelm returned to Berlin, he could not wait to carry out his plan to become emperor, and a month after the withdrawal of Prussian troops, he announced the establishment of the Second German Empire. The site for the proclamation of the empire was chosen at Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, as it was modeled after the Palace of Versailles.

The establishment of the Second German Reich turned the original German Confederation headed by Prussia into an empire in the legal sense, and officially proclaimed the birth of the strongest military empire on the European continent.

Almost all countries sent congratulatory messages about Prussia's transformation into the Second German Reich, and Paris was no exception, but Napoleon's congratulatory message was provocative.

"Congratulations on the establishment of the Second German Reich, and I hope that the country will be far superior to the Second French Reich."

Originally thought that it would be a political and diplomatic turmoil, Bismarck rarely did not protest to the French ambassador, because now Paris is more like a lost dog, and can only rely on the form of the foreign ministry to save a little dignity.

The telegram sent by King Joseph and Alexander II was significant, as both countries emphasized the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries, and both countries expected their relations to grow closer.

Bismarck was not carried away by the joy of victory, he understood very well what Tsar Alexander II meant, and then Russia and Britain would revise the London Strait Agreement, St. Petersburg would try to win its allies as much as possible, and Germany, which had just gained great political prestige, would become the object of their co-optation.

Under his plan, the North German Union sent a delegation to Berlin to ask Wilhelm I to become emperor of the German Empire. King Ludwig II of Bavaria was also forced to sign a letter drafted by Bismarck, advising Wilhelm to accept the crown. At the beginning of the new year, Wilhelm I insisted on announcing the establishment of the empire at Sanssouci Palace, so he moved to Potsdam surrounded by princes and nobles and was crowned emperor of the German Empire. Frederick also rightfully became the crown prince of the Second German Empire.

Next came the German celebration banquet, which was the most lively banquet in Berlin in the past 100 years, because they not only unified the entire federation and reorganized it into an empire, but also crushed France, the enemy of the century-old enemy, under their feet.

Under the illumination of the brilliant crystal lamp, every senior executive present was full of energy.

"Germany is a hot player right now, with almost every country in Europe sending us congratulatory messages, while France is like an outdated dancer who can only sit in the audience and complain. Maybe Paris is also annoyed now, why should we be treated with all the attention, and they can only complain. ”

King Wilhelm said proudly, "Three years ago, we were still enemies with Austria, but in the blink of an eye, King Joseph put aside his prejudices and agreed to be an alliance with us. Prime Minister Bismarck owes all this to you, you, General Ron, have sharpened the sword; You; General Moltke; The sword was used correctly: you, Count Bismarck, have been so remarkably in charge of my policy for many years that whenever I thank the army, I think of the three of you in particular. ”

At the celebration banquet, Wilhelm thanked the three founding ministers of Germany in front of everyone.

Ron, Moltke, and Bismarck returned the favor and thanked William.

Indeed, Germany has now become an empire in the name of the word, not a federation in the sense of a façade. Three days after the banquet, King Wilhelm entrusted the political and diplomatic affairs of Germany to Bismarck, and Chancellor Bismarck became the real power figure of the Second German Reich, with prestige second only to the emperor.

After the joy of victory faded, Kaiser Wilhelm began to discuss the future of the empire with Bismarck.

"The Franco-Prussian War was a beautiful turnaround, we crushed Paris to the point that we couldn't turn over, and now the French Third Reich can only shrink into its shell and look at Europe with its heart."

Bismarck smiled contemptuously, "The next thing Germany has to do is to suppress France for decades." We alone do not have an advantage, so Germany needs allies. There are two ready-made allies, one is Russia, which is very powerful, and the other is Austria, our former enemy. As long as the three countries can unite, we will be able to determine the order of the entire continent. ”

King Wilhelm hesitated, "But the contradiction between Austria and Russia on the Eastern question ...... It doesn't seem like it's easy to form an alliance. ”

Bismarck, on the other hand, was full of confidence, and his ambition to defeat France and his estimation of Germany's great strength were the prerequisites for him to dare to form a Triple Alliance.

"Rome was not built in a day, and the alliance of the three nations could not be built overnight. The safest way would be for Germany, to establish strong diplomatic relations with Austria and Russia, respectively, and then to establish an alliance between Austria and Russia from the middle. Eventually, we joined, and an alliance was formed. And this alliance was not a loose organization, but a military ally, and when France tried to attack Germany, our allies could not watch Germany sit idly by. And when our allies are attacked, others come to the same military aid. ”

Bismarck excitedly continued, "Imagine that even if the French want revenge, they need to declare war with three powerful military powers at the same time, and Berlin can calmly respond to the French counterattack as long as it does a good job of British diplomacy." Unless France still wanted to try the war against the French alliance, Paris could only be forced to abandon the idea of declaring war on Germany and hold back its hatred. ”

This kind of feeling that you see me unhappy and can't reach me, I guess it can make Paris angry. It's just that Berlin didn't know that Napoleon was secretly planning a trick. When he found out that the fundamental interests of the country were involved, the alliance agreement was just an unreliable piece of paper. Germany completely overestimated its political influence.

But so far, this is the most perfect alliance Bismarck can think of, not only suppressing France, but also controlling the discourse in Europe. His only regret was that Germany did not have enough colonies, otherwise Bismarck's ambitions would not be limited to one Europe.

"And what about our relationship with the British?"

King Wilhelm asked, "As long as Germany continues to rise, sooner or later he will become our adversary." ”

For Britain, even the iron-blooded Prime Minister Bismarck showed a look of scruples, he pondered for a while, and said, "Try not to offend them directly, and don't tear your face until you have to, we are only a European power, but Great Britain has a strong Commonwealth." And we have no direct interests with the UK in Europe, and the UK government will not see us as a competitor in the short term. But in the long run, if Germany wants to develop further, it will have to face the challenge of Britain. ”

"If Germany wants to form an alliance with Russia, it will have to help them settle the London Channel Agreement. This is our first challenge to the UK. ”

Although the concept of sea power had not really been mentioned, Bismarck already had some less perfect ideas and ideas in his mind that would push the German navy forward.

"The British controlled the entire ocean, and they stood at heights beyond the reach of Germany. The whole of Europe did not dare to provoke the first colonial empire. Germany still has a long way to go, and we can only confine ourselves to the competition with France on the soil of Western Europe. ”

Bismarck only felt that there was a long way to go, and the burden on his shoulders was not easy.

"As Europe continues to colonize the world, whoever controls the seas controls the future."

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