The first update

Prince Frederick's unauthorized actions on the Alsatian border caused consternation in Germany. Not only was the court surprised by Prince Frederick's impunity, but even Bismarck himself was taken aback by the fact that he had taken the lead in provoking the dispute. Prince Frederick's unruly personality combined with his unbridled and disobedient track record doomed him to chaos.

However, even Berlin did not expect that Prince Frederick's actions would become an example for another country.

At this time, the Japanese Iwakura Mission visited Europe to learn about the advanced culture of the West. They had just returned from a visit to the United States, but they were powerless to change the unequal treaties brought about by the Black Ship Incident.

The stark contrast between the advanced West and the backwardness of Japan shook their hearts.

At this time, Iwakura Goshi, Ito Hirobumi, and Okubo Ritsu had just set foot on Berlin soil, and it was also the moment when Bismarck launched the crisis of the Alsace War. Bismarck also took the time to receive the Japanese delegation and had some exchanges.

Bismarck's mansion received a very rare group of emissaries from the East. He briefly expressed his ideas to these people in English.

"A country that cannot rise without the support of tough militarism. If a weak country wants to win a place in the international political seat, it must go through war, and only the victor has the capital to be proud of, and the so-called equality and freedom are only literal. For example, because the tea tax was the fuse of the American Revolutionary War, but the tax revenue after the independence of the United States did not decrease but increased, is it really because of tax oppression? ”

Bismarck waved his hand and said, "None of this exists." In order to win, it is necessary to silence all opposition voices in the country. ”

At this time, Bismarck, who was gushing endlessly, could never have imagined that nearly half a century later, they would start a war with this group of despised Japanese, and it would end in the defeat of Germany.

Okubo was amazed by the iron-blooded nature of Bismarck's policies and methods, and from the militarism he peddled in his statements, he learned the "trick" of the law of the jungle in international politics, and only by relying on military power can he win the right to dialogue with the great powers on an equal footing. Okubo also admired the German military system and actively advocated learning from German military experience.

During the few days he spent resting at his hotel, Okubo Ritsu also kept an eye on the movements in Alsace, and when he learned that Prince Frederick had directly disobeyed the orders of his superiors because of the recovery of the lost territory, he could not help but admire.

"If the higher authorities are incompetent, in times of crisis, we should fight for victory, and our army should do the same."

Ito Hirobumi, who was originally looking at the passers-by on the street, heard this, but turned around and retorted to Okubo Toshitsu, "I am afraid that Chancellor Bismarck has no intention of stirring up a dispute, and Prince Frederick has acted so recklessly and satisfied the German people's desire for revenge against France, and I am afraid that he will put himself and the country in a disadvantageous position." ”

In the past few days, Ito has been paying attention to the current situation between the two countries, and he has also learned about some European trends in general. So I don't quite agree with Okubo Ritsu's point of view.

Okubo Ritsu frowned, and said with some dissatisfaction, "Your Excellency Hirobumi Ito, isn't this something worth learning from?" ”

"For Prince Frederick, his actions are a symbol of a national hero, because they are a rebellion against the territories that were occupied half a century ago. But for Chancellor Bismarck, who was thinking about the bigger picture, his rash actions invited disaster for Germany. Do you want us all to be in such a difficult situation? ”

Okubo was speechless for a while, not knowing how to answer Ito's words.

However, neither of them could have imagined that today's conversation would become an ominous prophecy for the two of them to die well in the future.

Sending troops into Alsace was a repugnant move, especially since his old rival Mantofil began to spread rumors of the current prime minister's recklessness and implied that the other side had made a big difference. But he paid no heed to these gossips, knowing that as long as Wilhelm I remained on his side, Bismarck's actions would not need to be reported to others.

Although he was a strong-willed imperial hawk, he could not stand the occasional kindness of William I, let alone add fuel to the fire of his nephew.

Having just finished receiving the Japanese mission, Bismarck received an order from King Wilhelm and hurried to the residence of Wilhelm I to report on Alsace's movements. He also looked absent-minded when greeting others on the road, and all passers-by saw was a prime minister with a serious expression, and his expression suddenly dawned when he thought of the series of clashes that had just taken place on the Alsace border.

Wilhelm I was bedridden during this period of poor health, but when he saw Bismarck appear in front of him, he sat up very excitedly.

Wilhelm I stared at Bismarck with an indifferent expression, and after a period of silence, he finally burst out at the old friend.

"How did you promise me to handle this in the first place?"

"Also, that's how you handled this conflict? Prime Minister Bismarck, have you forgotten what stupid you are doing? ”

Bismarck argued, and he said in a firm tone, "The only mistake in this conflict was not my plan, but Prince Frederick's ...... acting on his own."

William I said angrily, "Not this thing! I'm talking about your suppression of the Catholic Church at home, look at what good things you've done! Now, the kings of the Duchy of Weimar, Oldenburg, Baden, Württemberg, Saxony and others have sent telegrams of protest against your unauthorized suppression of the Catholic Church in the country. Have you forgotten that the Second German Reich was a dualist constitutional monarchy, and those kings could unite against the Ludwigs at any time if they were dissatisfied? Do you understand? From the German Confederation to the German Empire, the efforts of the middle decades are likely to be reduced to ashes because of this incident! ”

King Wilhelm took out the telegrams sent by these kingdoms, and slammed them down in front of Bismarck, and he asked the other party word by word, "Are you planning to bring down the whole country by doing this?" ”

Bismarck was speechless in the face of King Wilhelm's angry accusations. In order to suppress the power of the church, he had long been prepared to face many accusations, but he did not expect that even the monarch of the kingdom would jointly write a letter against his own actions.

"This ......"

Although he was questioned by many people, he still stubbornly said, "But the French use the Catholic Church to oppose our rule, and I think it is imperative to suppress Catholicism." ”

William put on an ugly face, and he asked in a cold voice, "But you'd better think about your situation now, not only the French are against you, but even the Catholics in the country have a lot of hostility, do you plan to bring down the whole country by doing this?" ”

"If you can't fix this properly, I'll have to resort to another option. Let you take a break to avoid their scrutiny. ”

Even Bismarck did not expect that King Wilhelm, who had been supportive a few weeks ago, would immediately put on another face in the blink of an eye. The cultural struggle, which was still in good shape yesterday, became the target of public criticism inside and outside the court in the blink of an eye.

He wanted to say something, but King William waved his hand and motioned for him to shut up.

"I know exactly what you're doing, but not everything happens overnight, and the dispute between Catholicism and the royal power has a long history. For the sake of the country, we can resort to iron-blooded means, but the Catholic Church can only slowly try to do it, because his resistance is greater than we imagined, and iron-blooded policy is not a universal means. ”

Since King Wilhelm said so, Bismarck could not insist on anything, he could not withstand the joint resistance between the major kingdoms in the country, and Bismarck could not continue to persist in the struggle alone, but could still be united to clear the monarch's side.

All the power of Bismarck, came from Wilhelm I, without him there would be nothing.

However, worse situations awaited Bismarck. While he was negotiating with King William on how to appease the other kingdoms and offer a compromise, the War Secretary Ron, brought bad news to the two men.

"What did you say?"

Bismarck took the telegram in his hand and could not believe the decision of the British.

"Germany is desperate to provoke a border dispute, and Britain will intervene in Alsace affairs, forming a short-lived alliance with the French. And urged the two sides to stand up and reach an agreement. ”

At this time, the sentence in front of his eyes seemed to be condensed into only one word, the anti-German alliance.

Not long after Germany was founded, it was suppressed by Britain and France, and the situation changed too suddenly.

Bismarck froze in place, and after reading the contents of the telegram three times, he finally crumpled the telegram in his hand and threw it on the ground.

"Damn the British! Not only did they have to restrain Germany on the colonial issue, but they also had to personally intervene in the dispute between the two countries. The cunning old fox just doesn't want to see any threat to their existence in Europe! Bastard! ”

Wilhelm's dormitory echoed with Bismarck's angry roar, and even Wilhelm was startled by Bismarck's roar.

Originally, Bismarck was dissatisfied with Prince Frederick's unauthorized actions, but also had a trace of luck in his heart. Hoping that the French would eventually make concessions in Alsace because of the outbreak of the conflict, Paris instead dragged London into the water.

"There is also a telegram, which I think Chancellor Bismarck should read."

With an embarrassed face, Ron handed another telegram to the Iron Will. After reading the contents, Bismarck stopped talking for a long time.

This news is heavy for the whole of Germany.

Eventually, he just sighed and said in frustration, "I know that the Slavs are even less trustworthy than the Angles, damn the Russians, they betrayed us." ”