Chapter 10: Undercurrents

Berlin

William III looked at the Austrian state letter placed on the table and slammed his hand down hard.

"The Austrians actually have the audacity to shamelessly demand to join us!"

Seeing His Majesty the King so angry, the high-ranking officials of Prussia remained mostly unmoved. Many even spoke up for Austria, brazenly declaring

"Only a German Customs Union that includes Austria can be called a true German Customs Union."

These words infuriated William III; he couldn't believe he had raised such a pack of ungrateful wolves.

Of course, these ungrateful wolves knew how to read the room. Seeing the situation turn sour, they immediately changed their tune.

"Brandenburg’s destiny is to inherit the legacy of the Holy Roman Empire, annex Austria, expel Hungary, and establish a truly German nation."

Hearing this, William III’s anger subsided slightly.

Clearly, Metternich’s "gold offensive" had taken effect. After all, national interests were not as tangible as the money in one's own pocket.

Every country has its share of the greedy and its share of the loyal.

Prussian Finance Minister Motz was one of the latter. As the initiator and actual administrator of the German Customs Union, he knew exactly how much mischief the Austrians had caused behind the scenes.

First, they sat by and watched as three customs unions emerged within Germany, then, like the British, they hovered outside each system, keeping the three unions in a stalemate to ensure Prussia would continue to decline through internal friction.

Fortunately, the Central German Commercial Union was inherently unstable, plagued by endless arguments over internal tariff unification, and eventually fell apart.

As for the South German Customs Union, it was caught between France and Austria, and the relatively narrow space left them with little room to maneuver.

Not long after, the Central German Commercial Union and the South German Customs Union collapsed one after another, but the Austrians did not give up. They successively courted Saxony and the various South German states, intending to form their own customs union, though these attempts all came to nothing.

"Your Majesty, we must not let Austria join. Our industry is still too fragile. The Austrians have a first-mover advantage over us. If we allow them into the German Customs Union, we will face endless exploitation."

"Then the Austrians will use the money they plunder from us to buy our resources, only to turn them into finished goods and sell them back to us. One day, we will become their slaves, just like the Irish."

"Gentlemen, what should we do then?" William III asked.

"We must exclude Austria. Otherwise, we have no choice but to set up trade barriers and implement protectionism."

"Isn't the purpose of establishing the German Customs Union to eliminate trade barriers and conduct free market trade?"

"That is only on the premise that we are the ones doing the harvesting, not the ones being harvested."

The man fell silent, but the murmurs in the room grew louder. Prime Minister Werther knew how to persuade this group of idiots who knew nothing about economics, so he shouted

"Damn it! We must exclude the Austrians! If we let Hungarian grain in, who will buy our grain?"

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately received a response from the Junker landlords.

What they didn't know was that at this very moment, there was a group of people in Hungary just like them.

Budapest

"Damn it! Damn it! The Emperor actually wants to join the German Customs Union. What are we in Hungary supposed to do?"

"What’s so bad about that? Things might be cheaper to buy later. I’m tired of always buying Austrian goods. This time, we can go shopping in Berlin; I hear the prostitutes there are quite serious."

"Seriously full of nonsense! If we let Prussian grain in, who will buy our grain!"

The Hungarian landlords immediately responded, "We must not let Prussian grain enter Hungary! If the Emperor does not accept our plea, we will march on Vienna!" Their roars shook the heavens.

Prince Esterházy merely watched the frenzied crowd from a corner. Although he liked to say such things himself, he knew very well that Hungary could not defeat Austria at this moment; otherwise, it wouldn't just be a matter of shouting slogans.

Besides, he missed his palace in Vienna; in terms of the entertainment industry, Vienna was centuries ahead of Budapest.

Hanover.

"What? The Austrians actually want to join the German Customs Union? What are they thinking! Aren't they afraid of a gold outflow?"

"If Austria can join, we can join too," one minister said.

"Are you an idiot? Do those Germans have any money? You want us to trade real gold and silver for Austrian waste paper? Our gold must not be wasted on meaningless competition."

At that time, signs of an economic crisis had already appeared in Britain, and precious metals were in short supply. The British government’s policy was to frantically raise trade barriers to prevent the outflow of precious metals and cope with potential bank runs.

Mainstream European countries followed suit, but Austria’s own debt had already exceeded dangerous levels, so hoarding precious metals was meaningless; instead, this stable but non-redeemable paper currency seemed safer.

Saxony, Dresden.

"The Austrians intend to join the German Customs Union?"

"Yes, the Prussians are demanding that we oppose Austria and reject their request to join the German Customs Union."

"Why reject it? Wouldn't it be good to let the Austrians come in and fight the Prussians? We in Saxony are the center of Germany; neither the Austrians nor the Prussians can do without us. Let the tigers and wolves fight, and we can play both sides—wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Your Majesty is wise."

France, Paris.

The decrepit Marshal Soult had completely lost the appearance of the soldier he once was; he remained in a state of semi-sleep.

"That is the situation. The Austrians intend to join the customs union initiated by the Prussians. The Prussians do not seem to intend to let them in, and there is some internal trouble within Austria. I think we should immediately organize a Franco-Belgian alliance to counter the Austrians." Guizot finished his report and stated his thoughts.

"Well, as for me, I am old. His Majesty the King trusts me, and he trusts you. I know you are very capable, and I trust you too. As long as you have a clear conscience and can answer to His Majesty the King and to God, that is enough." The old Marshal just wanted a peaceful retirement, so he pushed the matter away entirely.

"Thank you for your trust. I will do my utmost not to fail the high expectations of His Majesty and yourself." Guizot was used to Soult’s "non-stick" attitude; he had no time to play tai chi with this old man.

A Franco-Belgian alliance had always been Guizot’s dream. Although Belgium had just become independent, it was the first country on the European continent to industrialize. Its industrial strength was incredibly powerful, and the quality of its citizens was very high.

Moreover, Belgium’s location was uniquely advantageous. Incorporating Belgium into France’s sphere of influence would definitely enhance France’s strength and influence. He could even go a step further and incorporate the entire Low Countries into French territory.

Guizot’s idea was good; a Franco-Belgian alliance could indeed be both offensive and defensive, and it could enhance commercial competitiveness. However, he ignored the most important issue: the British.

There was a joke that if a Belgian flew a kite, it might fly all the way to England. The Low Countries were absolutely the British people's "reverse scale." The British would never allow any major power to touch the Low Countries. The British had always feared that a country would occupy the Low Countries and use them as a springboard to attack the British mainland.

As for Austria joining the German Customs Union, the military threats of the past might not work this time. He didn't know what had gotten into the Emperor of the Austrian Empire, but he actually talked about going to war.

The Emperor of Austria could be erratic because that family was never normal to begin with. But he, Guizot, could not be erratic; he and France could not afford such risks.

However, those traitors within Austria could be put to good use. Plus, the Prussians wouldn't be willing to let the Austrians snatch away the pig they had been raising.

In all fairness, although France looked down on Austria’s industrial strength, the chances of the Austrians winning in a competition against the Prussians were still quite high.

The Prussians knew this too, which made things much easier. Guizot already had a plan: to unite the anti-Austrian forces within Austria and within the German Customs Union.

Find a way to reject Austria’s entry into the German Customs Union. Once the Austrians entered the German Customs Union, it would no longer be an Austrian problem.

It would be an internal German problem. Although France had never abandoned its ambitions for the Rhineland, France was currently unable to support such ambitions.

(End of chapter)