Sanssouci Palace is located in Potsdam, southwest of Berlin, and was built as King Frederick II of Prussia in imitation of the Palace of Versailles in France. The beautiful surroundings made it an ideal place for Frederick the Great to retreat.

Today, Sanssouci Palace has welcomed new guests, guests from Italy and Austria-Hungary, and delegations from the two countries led by King Carlo of Italy and Archduke Ferdinand, Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary.

In addition to the Kaiser, a huge team composed of Prime Minister Bilow and Foreign Minister Holstein, military representatives Moltke Jr., Schlieffen, and Tirpitz welcomed the arrival of the representatives of the two countries.

There is also a reason why the German side attaches so much importance to the delegations of the two countries. As the well-deserved big brother of the alliance camp, Germany naturally wants to further strengthen the ties between the three countries, and it is better to form a unified alliance camp with the outside world.

Therefore, the German side has put a lot of thought into inviting the Italian and Austrian delegations to this time. For example, the family members of the monarchs (crown princes) of the two countries were invited, and Germany also offered a lot of benefits to continue to win over the two countries. For Italy, for example, Germany intends to use more Italian oil and reduce tariffs on cars between the two countries.

Therefore, as soon as the delegations of the two countries arrived in Germany, they could feel the warm welcome ceremony of the Germans. In just one week, the German side organized several welcome banquets. It is also grander and grander each time, and the intention of planning is clearly visible.

As for Germany's intentions, Italy and Austria are not fools, and of course they are well aware of their intentions. But knowing that the two countries have no intention of refusing at all, because there is a good saying, everything has a price, if the other party does not agree, it means that you have not given enough price. These words are completely true portrayals of country to country.

Of course, in addition to interests, sometimes personal feelings can also be exploited.

You see, isn't the good time spent together by the three monarchs with their families the best opportunity to bond with each other?

In the hunting grounds near Sanssouci Palace, the three monarchs (crown princes) held shotguns and stared vigilantly at the deer in the distance. As a royal hunting ground, the animals here are well protected.

Behind the three monarchs (crown princes), several tall guards held prey for the three, including rabbits, foxes and other small and medium-sized animals.

"Luckily, we met a herd of deer."

William II, the owner of the hunting ground and a frequent visitor, watched the deer and spoke softly.

"It feels like we could get closer."

Archduke Ferdinand, who was also a veteran hunter, loaded a bullet and spoke enthusiastically.

"Then what are you waiting for, come on."

Although he hunted less, Carlo, who was intrigued, also set his sights on the deer.

Then the three monarchs quietly approached the deer, and when they reached a distance of 100 meters from the deer, the three of them stopped.

"Carlo, you choose first."

As the master, Wilhelm II asked Carlo to choose first.

"Then I'll choose the deer."

The Carlo people preferred the majestic leader of the deer, who grazing and watching vigilantly, but did not notice that the dangerous humans were eyeing him.

"Then I'll pick the buck on the left."

"I'll take the right one."

After the three of them assigned their targets, they each raised their shotgun standard targets.

Carlo also slipped the deer into the crosshairs, and he held his breath as he listened to William's count.

"Three"

"Two"

"One"

"Shoot!"

"Smack, smack, smack!"

Gu Xuan

The roar of the three shotguns caused the originally quiet and peaceful herd of deer to activate immediately, and they quickly ran into the distance. In addition to the fleeing herd, two deer fell to the grass with a grief, because two bullets hit them.

These two deer were chosen by Wilhelm II and Archduke Ferdinand, and as for the target chosen by Carlo, they are currently fleeing with the herd alive and well.

"Carlo, it looks like you're not out of luck."

Wilhelm II, who put down his gun, spoke with a smile on his face.

"Yes, not lucky."

Carlo, who handed the gun to the guard behind him, said with a regretful expression that he was unlucky. If you don't look at the squire with only one quail behind him, then there is still some credibility in this statement.

Archduke Ferdinand, who also handed over the shotgun to the guards, sighed with emotion at this time. "The hunt with the two of you is the happiest day of my time, at least compared to the many troubles in China, it is much better."

"Franz, when you're happy, don't think about things that bother you."

As a close friend, Wilhelm II enlightened the Austro-Hungarian crown prince. "Franz, don't think too much, if you think it's okay, then you can talk about your troubles, and we can help you analyze and analyze."

In response to Wilhelm II's words, Carlo nodded as a tacit acquiescence.

"Well, the thing is in the appropriation of funds for the Navy." Speaking of which, the crown prince also glanced at Carlo's reaction, and continued after seeing that the other party was listening carefully. "Our Navy wants to build four dreadnoughts to increase our influence in Europe, but the problem is stuck in Parliament. Neither council has been able to approve an appropriation for the navy's shipbuilding, which makes it difficult for me. ”

Faced with Ferdinand's own shortcomings, William, who had spoken, spoke after pondering for a while. "On the Austrian side, perhaps the Army's worries need to be allayed, then Uncle Joseph is the best breakthrough. As for the Hungarian parliament, ......"

"In fact, the Hungarians can be informed and their position in the navy guaranteed, and I believe that the Hungarian parliament should be able to agree." Carlo suddenly interjected.

Carlo's words surprised both Willian and Ferdinand.

"Hahaha, Carlo's approach is worth considering."

William opened his mouth to praise at this time, in fact, he did not seriously consider whether Carlo's suggestion was appropriate, but considering the complicated relationship between Italy and Austria-Hungary, Caruou's ability to speak represented a lot of things.

As for Ferdinand, he seriously thought about the advice he had given.

In fact, Carlo's suggestion is very useful, because if you want the Hungarian parliament to agree, then you have to know the Hungarians. In the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Hungary did not look at the crazy oppression of other ethnic minorities, in fact, it was not confident in its bones. Because of the formation of a dual empire with Austria, Hungary suddenly gained the same power as the Austrians.

Although this makes Hungarians rejoice, there is a kind of anxiety among Hungarians who have tasted the sweet taste of power, and that is the anxiety of fear of losing power.

So in order to retain their power, the Hungarians made a lot of strange decisions. For example, on the issue of the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Hungarian parliament voted against it by a large margin, because Hungary was afraid that there were too many Serbs in the country, which would lead to the empire becoming a triad.

So Carlo's words also gave Ferdinand ideas.

"That's a good idea, thank you for your advice."

Archduke Ferdinand, who felt that most of his troubles had been solved by these two, now felt much more relaxed.

"Gentlemen, the time looks like it's about the same, and we can't afford to keep the lady waiting in the camp for a long time."

At this time, the Kaiser, who had just finished reading his pocket watch, opened his mouth to remind the time.

"Then let's go back."

"Good idea."

The three monarchs reached a decision and immediately rushed to the camp. As for the two deer that were hit, the guards would send them back to the camp.

As soon as he returned to the camp, Carlo heard his wife, Maria, shouting angrily. "Vittorio, what did you do with Luise?"

Carlo saw that his son, Vittorio, and the Kaiser's youngest daughter, were being disciplined by two mothers, who looked like mud monkeys, covered in mud, grass juice, and berries.

In such a situation, Carlo immediately walked out. "Okay, it's normal for children to be lively by nature, just let them pay attention next time."