January 1, 1843, New Year's Day.

10 Downing Street, London, UK.

"The whole territory of Belgium has fallen, and the Netherlands declares respect for the territorial integrity of Luxembourg!" These two important messages that reached the UK at the same time directly shocked the cabinet members who were still enjoying afternoon tea and almost squirted out all the black tea they had drunk before; They immediately threw away the cookies in their hands and hurried to the Prime Minister's Office for an impromptu emergency meeting.

"Damn, that Wilhelm II really didn't have the slightest spine, and was ready to surrender without firing a shot. But what about Belgium? I've seen their Leopold I, a tough guy who shouldn't have succumbed so quickly. Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne said helplessly.

"It is said that he was unfortunately captured in order to block the German Confederate forces and led the Belgian army out of the city to fight in the field." Lord John Russell replied.

"The King of Holland is a cowardly, fearless waste, we can't swallow it like this, we must force him to go to war with the German Confederation." Palmerston suggested.

At this time, the Secretary of State for the Army, John Seth, raised a question, which is military common sense that politicians ignore.

"Have you ever wondered how Austria and Prussia got to Belgium after only a few days of war? Did they fly over? ”

It's just that this most crucial point is ignored by politicians, who are not in the mood to discuss the details of strategy and tactics.

"Well, we don't have the time or energy to think about anything else, and now the first task is to urge the Dutch to hold on to the end, and to contact the French to send troops to Wallonia, so that the miscellaneous men of the German Confederation can be a strong enough threat. We must immediately forge a Franco-Dutch-Belgian alliance."

Words can't express the mood of the Viscount of Melbourne at the moment, he already feels the impending crisis. In less than a week, Belgium had already fallen, which was too unexpected.

"Is there any news from the Russian side?" Palmerston asked.

"Unfortunately, it's winter, and I think St. Petersburg has to pass through Hamburg and Berlin first, and then work in a horse-drawn carriage for half a month," one cabinet member waved helplessly.

"Damn it!" Palmerston finally began to become impatient, for he seemed to feel that he and Britain had become the prey of others.

It seems that the Russians are far from quenching their thirst, and now they can only pin their hopes on the French.

In fact, there were other reasons why the British were reluctant to land in Europe, that is, the forces they could put into land warfare were insufficient, and the European continental war a few decades ago made everyone understand that the cost and loss of war with the great powers were enormous, and the gains and losses of any country were not worth the losses.

"We can negotiate a peaceful solution to this crisis." John Russell proposed.

That was the best idea he could think of, as the situation was out of control and it would take time for the United Kingdom to recover from the unfavourable situation, and that was the only way to go.

"But at this time, Puao has already taken the advantage, how can he negotiate with us?"

Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne understands what John Russell meant, but the reason why Prussia and Austria can take Belgium in a short period of time must have been planned for a long time.

Now that Belgium is occupied, the Netherlands have promised to make concessions, and the Augs have accomplished their goal, and all they have to do is to end the war and force the other side to sign an alliance with the city, rather than settling the dispute through lip service.

"No, I think they will accept the offer, because they need our recognition to end the war. In other words, as long as we don't sign the contract, this war won't end. ”

Palmerston is very sure of what he thinks, he believes in the influence of Britain at the moment, and he trusts his own judgment.

Others also felt that Palmerston's words did make sense, and then there was good news.

"France has decided to send troops!" A cabinet member shouted excitedly.

Historically, it was the French who sent troops to scare the Dutch away and allowed Belgium to gain real independence. At this time, France decided to send troops, and it must have been prepared to fight to the death with the German Confederation.

The cabinet members all analyzed that the London stock market soared on the second day, and the businessmen celebrated like crazy, and even Leonel Rothschild, who had not moved before, began to make big moves.

The machines in the world's factories began to spin at full speed, and in the face of too many orders to be filled, the factory owners raised the wages of their workers and prepared for a piece of the feast that followed.

Palais de Duelles, Paris, France.

Louis Philippe frowned at the Viennese emissary.

"Do you mean to let me encroach on my son-in-law's territory?"

"No, just put him under your protection. The new Grand Duchy of Belgium will have only French-speaking inhabitants, who will accept the laws of France, and they will accept the leadership of you and your son-in-law. ”

Johann von Wiesenbourne briefly served as Prime Minister of the Austrian Empire, but was now an unknown diplomat.

Louis Philippe was outwardly displeased, but he was relieved inside. The speed of the opponent's advance was surprising, and the capture of Belgium by them added an extra layer of meaning.

This land used to be called the Austrian Netherlands, and Louis Philippe had wavered because he feared that the Austrians would want to relive their old dreams. If they were allowed to create an enclave on their doorstep, wouldn't that make it difficult for the whole of France?

This time, however, Austria offered a very generous offer, which was only to return the territory of Luxembourg and turn Liège into a free trade zone.

and for its own side, the Walloon territories, with the exception of Liège and West Luxembourg, which represent more than a million educated, highly qualified people; There are abundant coal and iron resources on it, which makes France salivate.

Offering Luxembourg to France after the victory over the German Confederation and allowing the Franco-Belgian Customs Union to be established on the other side of the Strait were clearly much more affordable than the Austrians' promises.

If the British had really rushed to send troops, as the British had requested, I am afraid that the first French troops to enter Wallonia would have become prisoners by this time.

Although France was expanding frantically at this time, in fact its power was already stretched. The French invested heavily in the colonies, and at first they could rely on the bankers, but over time the ills became apparent.

The French colonies, with the exception of Texas, were losing money, one because the input and output were not proportional, and the other was the staggering cost of maintenance.

All this, of course, is due to the fact that Britain and the United States are behind it, and if France really chooses to fight to the end with the German Confederation, I am afraid that in a few months, Louis Philippe will follow in the footsteps of Louis XVI, because the treasury has been emptied, and the whole of France is living on debt.

Of course, thanks to the very concealed methods, many powers did not know the current emptiness within France, including Franz, so he would not stop trying to provoke the contradictions between Britain and France, not knowing that France was now overstretched and tired of coping.

All-out war with the German Confederation? Louis Philippe was categorically not going to do so, and he was still thinking about how to keep Belgium politically.

Now it was good that the Austrians had found a solution for him, just as someone happened to give him a pillow when he was about to rest; But the "kind-hearted" Louis Philippe still had to pretend to be reluctant and tearfully carved up Belgium.

(End of chapter)